Otter & Ferret
by xodramionexo
Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts and Hermione has some schedule changes that cause her and an unlikely companion to slowly get closer to one another.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Study Hall

* * *

"Ms. Granger," Mrs. McGonagall was shocked by the young girl's presence. "Wha—what are you doing here? This is detention, Hermione. If you're looking for the book club it's right down the hall to the left."

The teacher approached her favorite student and was bewildered to see that she hadn't moved an inch. Hermione looked around the room to find majority of the students she had expected. There were of course much more Slytherins in the room than any other house. However, the detention room was pretty evened up. Most of the students were class clowns or serving detention for simply skipping class. Biting her swollen lip for a moment, Hermione tried to find the words she needed to say, but she couldn't quite bring herself to it until McGonagall pulled the young girl aside.

"Since I took a few extra classes last year, I can't take as many this semester. They said the only extra credits I could take would be to take over one of the study halls or detention. I was just curious where study hall actually was." Hermione explained carefully.

"It's in the library this year," Mrs. McGonagall smiled and gave her favorite student a reassuring nod, "Angelina Johnson will be glad that she won't have to be in charge of that class now."

"Thanks," Hermione walked out of the classroom and headed down towards the library.

She hated the idea of teaching a classroom full of students. It wouldn't bother her so bad if study hall was actually filled with students who wanted to learn, but she had heard that it was just a class full of misbehaved teenagers who wanted an easy A. But she had no other choice since she refused to watch over the detention hall. Softly brushing her hand against the wall of the library, she saw only three students sitting at a table in the large, open room. They were all looking down at the table in some sort of awkward silence that Hermione didn't quite understand until she made her way over to them. Looking down an isle, she saw Angelina make her way over.

"Hey, if it's okay, I'd actually be interested in taking over this year's study hall." Hermione gave the girl a refreshing smile.

"Really? That's great, here—take it." Angelina laughed at Hermione's gullibility and then made a quick exit before Hermione had the chance to change her mind.

Turning on her heels back to the large desk, she finally got a good glimpse of the three students. There was a young girl named Susan who was sitting at the far end with her head resting in her palm that was held up by the table. Sitting next to her was a younger boy whom Hermione had never seen before—he must have been a few grades younger than her. As she walked to the other side of the table, she noticed that the third person was none other than the famous Draco Malfoy himself. Crossing her arms, she looked at the clock to see that class had just begun.

"If you have any homework, I suggest you use your time wisely." Hermione managed to say to them. The young boy sitting next to Susan had rose his hand quickly. "Yes?"

"Can we sit wherever?" He was sitting back in his chair a bit hunched over.

"Sure—just, stay on task, okay?" Hermione answered.

Quickly, Susan and the boy got up and left the table entirely. They both went to the last isle in the library and sat at a desk behind a bookshelf so they were hidden from Hermione's sight. Hermione shook her head and let out a sigh of disbelief. Maybe there weren't as many students as she had been told, but they certainly had no passion or drive to do their school work. Looking back down at the table, Hermione noted that Draco didn't move an inch. He was still sitting in his chair upright, looking down at the table in front of him.

"They _are_ going to study back there, you know." Draco didn't lift his gaze from the wooden table.

"Really?" Hermione asked in a hopeful way.

"Yeah," Draco had a growing smirk across his face, "Human anatomy,"

"Mature, Draco, really." Hermione hissed in a disgusted tone. As she sat down at the other end of the table, she put her notebook in front of her. She figured that if she was going to be stuck babysitting teenagers with intellectual ranges of five year olds, she was going to at least use this time to her advantage and get started on her potions homework.

Hermione was always top student in all of her classes. She had a natural gift for holding a wand and using magic. Also, she had been gifted with a wonderful brain that helped her remember definitions, dates, history—practically everything. There was only one subject that she had troubles with which was Potions. For the most part, she had the basics down pat. Her troubles mainly focused in balancing out equations of mixing formula's together to make other potions. It bothered her more than anything because this was the one and only thing that she wasn't able to understand within the first five seconds of learning it. Most other things just naturally came to her, but Potions clearly was the exception. Getting frustrated with a complicated formula, Hermione closed her notebook and let out a small sigh. Looking over to a nearby clock, she noticed the hour was almost over.

"Why haven't you moved yet?" Hermione crossed her arms and peered across the table.

"Why should I? I was here first," Draco stretched in his seat.

"Well, doesn't it bother you that I'm sitting here?" She questioned the boy that had insulted her for the past five years.

"Yes, but I believe that it's your existence that most bothers me not where you sit," Draco pretended that he was pinpointing the exact issue at hand.

"I can move—if you want me to," Hermione propped herself up from her chair.

"I never said I wanted you to move," Draco muttered.

"So you want me to stay?" Hermione looked cautiously at him, staying frozen in her place.

"You have a way with putting words into my mouth, Granger. I don't like it." Draco stood up from his chair and began heading across the library to the door.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Hermione called after him.

"Class is over," Draco continued walking out of the room without looking back at her.

Hermione didn't take her eyes off of the library door until Susan and the boy that was with her brushed by her shoulder. She looked at the two who were whispering to each other and giggling. Susan's shirt was on backwards and inside out which is probably what disturbed Hermione the most. Letting a small sigh escape her mouth, she realized that this would probably be the longest semester of her life. She didn't understand why the school board wouldn't just let her take up another class. It wasn't as if she hadn't used the time turner before to get in a few extra studies. Putting her notebook into her bag, Hermione left the library and headed out to her next class.

* * *

"How did study hall go?" Ron leaned over Hermione's desk and gave her a kiss on her cheek. She couldn't help but blush as she turned to see Harry standing close behind him.

"It was fine—it's a small class which is nice." Hermione left it at that. She couldn't bring herself to explain that she would be spending the next semester next to Draco Malfoy which both boys passionately hated.

"We have practice today for Qudditch, if you'd like to tag along," Harry offered with his normal, shy smile.

"I'd love to, but I really need to finish my Potions homework," Hermione explained.

"You haven't finished that yet?" Ron wondered, looking over at Harry, "It's really easy, it will only take you like five minutes top, right mate?" He looked at his friend for reassurance.

"It only took me about ten minutes so it should take you no time, Hermione." Harry confidently glanced over at Hermione.

Though she was hiding her emotions well, Hermione was boiling up inside. How could two boys who never studied for practically anything, be so good at balancing potion equations? They were constantly stealing her notes and copying her homework when she wasn't looking and yet they were breezing through that homework? Surely she needed to start spending more time in the library because she was losing her knack for learning. Trying to keep her cool, she swiftly turned around in her chair and pulled out her books. Flipping through the largest book she explained that she had some reading to do if she wanted to try to test out of some higher classes.

* * *

Hermione stayed up in the library for several hours after the boys went off to practice. Giving a glance to the grandfather clock that was leaning up against one of the stone walls, Hermione believed that they were probably in their beds right now not stressing a thing. Yet here she was, in the library all by herself and she hadn't even finished the first problem of her Potions homework. Why was this so bloody hard for her? She never had any troubles with school until she took one class with Snape and it seemed to be the downfall of it all. Considering giving up on the homework and faking sick tomorrow, Hermione heard a noise from the front of the room. It startled her a bit, so she quickly looked over and began to rise from her chair.

"Who's there?" Hermione lifted up her wand to the darkness engulfing her. "S—show yourself!"

"Is that really how you would protect yourself?" Draco laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. She truly looked like a helpless child, standing with a shaking wand in the air.

"Dr—Draco," Hermione finally let herself breathe out as she sat back down at the table.

"What are doing here?" Draco made his way over to her and looked down at her notebook.

"Studying," Hermione shoved her belongings into her bag and then began to head out.

"Granger," Draco tried to follow her, but she wouldn't look at him. It wasn't a secret why her cheeks were so red, when he had looked down he saw the Potions homework—the homework that everyone else had already finished within minutes. As she brushed past him he heard her sniffling a little bit, but she wasn't crying. It was probably his presence that startled her more than anything. But either way he knew that he had gotten to her this time.

* * *

Author's Post-Note:

Sorry the chapter is short, I just wanted to set up the story! I hope that you liked it and I hope that you read on! Please feel free to leave reviews! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Hospital Wing

The next few weeks went by incredibly slowly. Hermione continued to teach study hall but there never seemed to be much studying done at all. Sitting down across the table from Draco as usual, Hermione pulled out a small novel. Since he was bored and didn't have anything else to do, he decided to bug her since it was his second favorite hobby—Quidditch was his first. Leaning forward in his chair, he let out a loud sigh, Hermione chose to ignore Draco's attempt to get under her skin. Getting irritated that she wasn't easily bothered like she was the other day he decided to just push on further. Standing up quickly, Draco sat down in the seat next to her. Hermione's eyes refused to leave the novel that was planted in her hands.

"You should use you time more wisely," Draco muttered, "Ever heard of a hobby?"

"Reading is a hobby, Draco," Hermione said uninterestedly.

"It's boring," Draco disagreed as he sat back in his chair, "You don't have any idea how to have fun, do you?"

"Our idea of fun is simply different," Hermione turned the page carefully.

"Clearly," He snorted as he tapped his pencil against the wooden desk to a soft, persistent beat.

"Just because your idea of fun is rushing around on a broomstick and brutally attacking another player in order to get a hold of a dumb little snitch, does not mean I have to feel the same." She whipped her bushy head around and gave Draco a stern look.

"Just because you don't have enough damn balance to keep yourself on a broom for more than five minutes, doesn't mean you should resort to reading." Draco paused for a minute, "Why do you have such a problem with Quidditch anyway? Your little boyfriends play—or at least they try to anyway."

"Neither of them are my boyfriend," Hermione corrected Draco.

"Then why did the Weasel Bee kiss you the other day before class?" Draco inquired with a curious look on his face.

"Why do you care?" Hermione closed her book since she obviously wasn't going to be get any reading in with Draco sitting next to her.

"I couldn't care less," Draco muttered as he grabbed the novel, "What are you reading?"

"Nothing," Hermione tried to pull her book away from his grasp. But his grip was tighter and he was far stronger than she was. Looking down at the old cover, Draco read it carefully.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Draco questioned, "What's it about anyway?"

"Bug off," Hermione shoved the book in her bag and pulled out her notebook. She started on her Potions homework again, which she still had yet to finish.

* * *

Looking down at her notebook in front of her, Hermione dipped her quill in ink and touched it softly on the paper. All of her attention was focused on the small blur that she was making on the paper until Ron put his hand over hers. This made her jump in surprise. She had forgot that she was even in class, let alone sitting next to anyone. When she looked around she saw all of the other students moving around and leaving the classroom. Turning back to Ron, she made a small noise, something like a grunt but a bit fainter. He helped her up from the desk and put his arm around her waist to assist her.

"You're not feeling too good, are you?" Ron gave a concerning glance over to Harry. Harry grabbed Hermione's bag and walked alongside them.

"I'm not—I can't—" Hermione fell into Ron as she fainted.

"What happened to her?" A nurse asked the two boys after they got Hermione into a bed.

"She wasn't looking that good and the next thing we knew…she fainted," Harry explained, "She looked fine all week and then all of a sudden today she just didn't seem to be able to hold herself up."

"Don't worry about her too much, okay? She's just showing symptoms of a virus that's been going around. She'll be in here for a week tops." The nurse told the boys carefully, "But you both should probably turn in. It's getting late and you both have classes tomorrow."

"I—I don't want to leave," Ron shook his head as he grasped Hermione's cold and clammy hand in his.

"Mate, we'll come and see her as soon as class lets out tomorrow." Harry stood up from his chair and walked around to the other side. He watched as Ron finally agreed to his proposition and stood up himself. He leaned over and brushed the hair out of her face. Kissing her forehead gently, Ron took a moment to breathe in her essence. Moving away from her side, he looked over to Harry and nodded.

As the nurse went around to different stations, she began cleaning up the place and turning off lights. She left only a few lamps on to give it a dim feeling. After making sure that all of the patients were well asleep, she collected her items and put them away in a drawer. Taking the key from her purse, she went to lock the door, but saw someone standing nearby in the shadow. Her eyes opened a bit wider and she walked closer to the figure.

"Here," She handed off the key to the figure, "Just make sure that you lock up when you're done and slip the keys under my dormitory tonight, okay?"

* * *

"Where do you think she's at?" Susan wondered as she fumbled through her notebook.

"I heard she got into a fight or something. She wound up in the hospital wing. It's funny isn't it—to think about her in a fight?" The other boy, Darrel, whispered.

"More work, less talk," A woman with long black hair muttered under her breath.

"Well, whatever the reason it is, this blows. We actually have to pretend like we're doing work. I only took this class so we could have some time alone, Darrel. I can't stand this woman either, she's intolerable!" Susan complained.

"She's sick," Draco corrected Darrel, "I saw her faint after class."

"Did you hex her?" Darrel laughed.

"Funny," Draco looked down at a book he was holding in his hand. His eyes skimmed the thin pages as he let out a soft breath.

* * *

Ron walked into the hospital wing after class. Harry agreed to join the him for supper because he wanted them to have a bit of alone time together. When Ron reached her bed, he noticed that she had finally woken up. The nurse assured him that she was still having troubles staying awake fully and that at any time she could pass out again. Giving them space, the nurse tended to a small girl across the aisle way. Ron sat beside Hermione and gave her a soft smile.

"H—how much work am I missing?" Hermione managed to whisper.

"You're in the hospital wing and that's your first question?" Ron gave a knowing laugh to her, "Hermione, you'll have plenty of time to makeup the work you've missed. You just…you need to get better, okay?"

"I was trying to let the nurse let me go to class today…but she said I'd probably be out for a week. Oh no, study hall, who's taking over it?" Hermione nearly jumped out of the bed.

"Stop, everything is taken care of. Can't you just…relax for a little bit? You're still really sick, Hermione."

"I fe—I feel fine," Hermione had a chill running up her spine. As she rested her head back against the pillow, she fell back into a sound sleep.

Ron looked down at her helplessly. He wished he could do something to make her feel better. But he knew the professionals were doing their job and they would take care of her. Deciding to turn in early that day because he knew that she would be out for the rest of the night, Ron turned to leave. As his eyes gazed around the room, he saw a small girl who was sitting up in her bed. He grew a bit curious as he walked towards her. Reading her name on the bottom of the bed, he waved at her. Laying there was none other than Luna Lovegood.

When Ron got to the Gryffindor Common Room, he saw that it was full of his brothers and their friends. Harry was sprawled out around them as well, listening to a tall, thin boy who was standing up and talking. Ron quietly got into the room and sat next to his friend, trying not to interrupt what was going on. It took him several minutes to figure out that they were having a Quidditch pep talk. Resting his head against the couch behind them, Ron let out a small breath. There were too many things going on at once. He was wrapped up in school work, spending as much time as he could with Hermione and now he would need to really focus at practice. Their first match was the following week and there was still a lot of training to do. Feeling the stress kicking in, he looked over at Harry who was trying hard not to doze off. Giving him a slight nudge the two smiled at each other. How on earth were they supposed to juggle all of their priorities at once?

"It's going to be a long week," Ron told his friend.

"Yeah," Harry responded looked at the clock.

"You guys, come on, pay attention," George ragged on the boys, "This is important!"

* * *

"We need to stop meeting like this. It's like I'm actually expecting you now," The nurse walked over to the shadows. "I don't see why you never come during visiting hours. It's not like she's going to remember anything by morning,"

"Exactly," Draco took the key from the woman and made his way into the room, "I don't want her to."

He didn't know if it was a lie or if it was the truth. In a sense, he didn't want her to know because he was afraid that he may lose his pride. But he was trying to do a good thing and he wanted to be praised for that. Part of him wanted her to know that he would come and visit her every night she was in the hospital even if it was afterhours and in secret. Though the nurse was annoying, she was right when she said she would never remember the events that had happened during their visits, but it almost reassured Draco that he should go. It was as if that fact was the final push that drove him into going to the hospital wing and seeing that filthy little mudblood that he was coming to somewhat appreciate.

Walking closer to her bedside, Draco looked around the room to make sure that all of the other patients were still asleep. He pulled the curtain around Hermione's bed just to ensure that no other student would catch him visiting Granger. It took a lot in him to get over prideful issues, so this was kind of a big thing for him. Turning on her lamp to a very low setting, he watched the girl stir a bit in her bed. But she comfortably laid on her side and wrapped herself between the sheets and blankets. Draco pulled out the book he had been reading and began speaking to her.

"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." Draco whispered as he flipped the page. He continued to read as he would occasionally glance over at the sleeping girl. After some time, Draco paused for a moment and read the last line for that night, "Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."

* * *

Author's Post-note: Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that (obviously) in the last few lines, Draco is reciting Shakespeare's work from Romeo and Juliet. I do not own the quotes he is speaking and I just wasn't sure how to cite it on fanfiction properly, so I'm leaving that segment here! Thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed it and all reviews are appreciated! Thanks so much!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

She's My Susan

Hermione walked into the library a week later and looked down at the three students. Susan and Darrel only glanced at her before they made their way to the back of the library. Giving an annoyed glance to their backs, Hermione sat down in her usual seat. Draco sat down next to Hermione and pulled out a notebook of his. She knew that he was merely doodling on a the page but it was nice to see at least a bit of effort from him. He gripped onto his quill a bit tighter as he shaded in a region. Hermione looked down at her potions homework which was still completely unfinished. At this point, she would be lucky if Snape would even accept it.

"Your having troubles with your potions homework?" Draco stated under his breath.

"What?" Hermione had been caught off guard.

"You've been working on that homework ever since you started teaching study hall." Draco said, "You haven't even finished the first problem."

"I am not having problems, I just…I was getting sick," Hermione whispered.

"Yeah, you were gone for a week."

"So…you noticed?" Hermione looked up and over at him.

"Yeah I did," Draco looked at her dead in the eye and sounded sincere for a brief moment, "It was so peaceful around here,"

"You're an arse," Hermione shook her head with a smile appearing on her face, "Come on, you have to admit that you missed me,"

He didn't miss her, he couldn't have missed her. He was there in the hospital every single night up until the last two days. On those days she was doing a lot better and was remembering almost everything that happened. So he kept his distance, but still kept his eye out on her. He would have small exchanges and chats with the nurse at night before she turned in. But Draco simply put down his quill and looked down at his page. Hermione looked down at the beautiful artwork before him and noticed that he had drew a young girl. Giving the piece an appreciative glance, she over at Draco with curiosity dangling behind her eyes.

"Who did you draw?" Hermione looked back down at it.

"No one," He closed his notebook and put it away in his bag. He was very reserved the rest of the hour and refused to willingly talk to her. So she left him alone as she put away her things. As soon as class ended, Draco began walking towards the door rather quickly.

"Draco, wait," Hermione walked after him, "How about tonight we meet here, in the library and if you want…you can teach me how to balance some equations,"

"What do I get out of it?" Draco asked.

"Whatever," Hermione shrugged, unsure of what it was that he would be wanting anyway.

"Alright, tonight at six," Draco moved closer to her, "Let's keep this…a secret, okay?"

"Of course," Hermione crossed her arms, "Do you really think I'd want any of my friends to know that I'm getting tutored by a smug little brat like yourself?"

"You have such charm, Granger," Draco walked away coolly.

* * *

"Hermione," Ron smiled, "I was thinking that you and I could eat dinner alone today,"

"Uh—yeah, sure." Hermione wasn't really paying attention. She was actually distracted by some faint, dying memory that she had. This was probably the third time that day that she had been reminded of it. It was as if she had dreamed part of it, but a more crucial aspect of it was real. Shaking her head slowly and putting her head in her hands, she let out a long breath. This was going to bother her until she figured this one out.

Once Hermione sat down on the grass behind Hogwarts, she looked up to see Ron standing there. He had brought out their food and handed it down to her. As he sat down beside her, he took a drink of water and then nervously glanced at her.

"I'm glad that you're better now, you had me worried." Ron moved closer to her.

"It was just a bad virus," Hermione shrugged, "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Listen, Hermione, I wanted to have dinner with you because I wanted to talk to you about something." Ron put down his food which meant that it was something serious because for years now Hermione had watched him shove down his food while talking just about anything and everything.

"Is everything alright?" She took a sip of her drink, before setting it back down next to her plate.

"Yeah, I just…Hermione there's been something that I've been meaning to ask you. But if I ask, you can't get all weird or upset—okay?" Ron started off the conversation.

"Ron, of course I'm not going to get upset," She pushed her food aside and waited in front of him.

"Hermione…Hermione, I—" Ron couldn't bring himself to say it, so he decided to show her instead.

With a quick force, his hand was on her jawline and his lips were pressed harshly against hers. She supposed that he had meant this as a romantic gesture, but she couldn't breathe with his body so close to hers. Trying to push him away softly, Hermione caught her breath. She looked over at him in amazement. He was one to make rash decisions—but typically he never made any romantic impulses, at least not with her. Sure, he had kissed her before on the cheek or on the forehead, but he never came at her like that before. It didn't make her feel wanted, it made her feel...uneasy.

"I—I'm sorry," Ron shook his head when he realized that she wasn't happy about this action, "I shouldn't have—"

"No, don't apologize. I just…I wasn't expecting that." Hermione explained.

"You weren't?" Ron stared at her blankly, "I thought I was giving all the signs…I thought you'd…"

"Ron, we've been friends for years, I just thought the little things…all those gestures were just _friendly_ gestures." Hermione offered.

"Of course you did," Ron leaned back and sat in a normal position. He looked down at the grass beneath him and began to fiddle with it.

"I really was just shocked, Ron. I wasn't…I'm not upset about this." Hermione put her hand on his knee and gave him a smile. "We should start slower though, okay? Like…take me out somewhere or something."

"You would be my girlfriend?" Ron's face lit up.

"I would go out on a date with you," Hermione corrected, "I just don't think we should rush anything, especially since we're such good friends, you know? I don't want to lose you,"

"You're not going to, I promise you, okay? No matter what happens between us, you're never going to lose me." Ron looked up at the girl. The two finished their dinner while discussing their classes.

"Thank you for dinner," Hermione gave him a hug before standing up.

"Maybe we could go out sometime, I could take you to Hogsmede maybe?" Ron grabbed their plates.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Hermione made her way back into Hogwarts and back up to the Common Room. She grabbed her book bag from her dormitory and headed out to the library.

* * *

"Granger," Draco stood up from the desk and watched her come towards him. Looking down at the table in front of him, he put away his notebook where he had been drawing a picture.

"How long have you been here?" Hermione put down her things.

"Not long," He lied. He had been there an hour, hoping that she would show up early like she usually did for nearly every occasion.

"Great," She pulled out her Potions homework, "So you think you can help me with this?"

"Of course," He pulled out his quill and looked at the worksheet.

The two spent a few hours that evening at the library. They started off working on the problems and then once she got the hang of it, she was able to finish it without a problem. Then they began talking about random things that didn't even matter. Both of them didn't want to leave, but they both didn't want to admit that they wanted to stay either. So aimlessly, their conversation went from one extreme to the next, until they found themselves just sitting in silence. Biting her bottom lip, Hermione looked down at the table and then back over to Draco who was perched perfectly in his seat. She didn't understand how someone so unbearable could be so…civil at times. It didn't make sense to her at all, but she decided not to let it bother her. Instead of trying to make sense of every little thing in her life, she decided that for the time being she would focus on trying to enjoy herself a little more. After all, this was a pretty light semester, wasn't it?

"I should turn in," Hermione finally said, though she dreaded the thought.

"Yeah, me too," Draco stood up quickly.

"Pansy's probably all worried," Hermione suggested as she put her bag on her shoulder.

"Why would you say that?" Draco turned to her.

"Well—you two are a thing now, aren't you?" Hermione wondered.

"That depends on what a '_thing'_ actually means." Draco retorted.

"You know what I mean, aren't you two going together or something?"

"She's not my girlfriend, if that's what you're implying," Draco picked up his bag and then started heading out of the library.

"Then what is she…exactly?" Her curiosity was literally eating her alive today.

"She's...she's my Susan," Draco left her standing in the hallway alone.

His phrase lingered in the air for a few moments. Hermione wasn't quite sure that she had heard him right. He had said such an absurd statement in such a calm manner that it had actually alarmed her. Swallowing hard, she thought about what he had meant. He obviously was referring to the Susan in study hall. It took only another moment for it to actually sink in. Pansy was just his buddy on lonely nights or when he was bored. The thought of it made her sick, just as sick as she felt about Susan and Darrel during study hall.

That night, Hermione laid in her bed with sleepy eyes. As she gave way to sleep, she rolled over in her bed. There was a voice in her head, it was soft and low. Flinching under the memory of it, there was a small smile appearing on her face. This voice had once bothered her—intimidated her, but now it simply made her feel…safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Midnight Valentine

Hermione grabbed her bag before leaving her dormitory. As she carefully made her way into the common room, she saw Fred and George Weasley waiting for her. George gave her a hug just seconds before Fred. Looking at them confused, Hermione looked around the room to find they were alone.

"What's going on?" She questioned the boys.

"We're just excited that's all," George began.

"Ron told us that you guys are planning to go out sometime soon," Fred further explained.

"It's just one date, guys, we're not getting married." Hermione laughed at the two.

"But you're not opposed to marrying him, are you?" George moved to one side of her.

"In the future, of course," Fred went to the other side.

"You guys could move into a nice house." George looked down at the short, brunette.

"You could have the whole nine yards," Fred started using his persuading voice.

"That's right, the picket fence," George chimed in.

"A dog," Fred interrupted.

"Or cats, if you prefer," George quickly added on.

"Even a few children of your own," Fred nudged her in the side with his shoulder.

"You two are insane," Hermione shook her head with a calm laugh, "Really, you both have gone mental."

"But you're still not opposing any of this, are you?" George questioned carefully.

"How on earth would I know what I want?" Hermione crossed her arms, "We're still…young. I don't even know if I feel that way about Ronald. We haven't even gone out on one date yet."

"I would love to have you a sister-in-law," Fred pulled her closer to him.

"You know, if you and Ron don't work out…" George put his arm around her waist, pulling her a bit closer.

"Foul play!" Harry laughed as he came down the stairs from the boy's dormitory, with Ron directly beside him.

"Come on, we're going to be late for class," Hermione's cheeks grew a bit red as she headed down the hallway, leading the rest of them. When she got into class, her gaze was caught by Draco who was sitting in his desk, making small chat with his two friends, Theo and Blaise. As she sat down in her seat, she noticed how his stare was still locked on her. At first, it made her feel uncomfortable and she was actually concerned that maybe there was something wrong with her appearance. But after a few moments had past, she began to feel like it was some sort of compliment, and so she sat up taller and smiled brightly to her friends with a bit of confidence.

* * *

When she made it in to study hall, Hermione sat down at the table. Noticing that both Susan and Darrel were absent. Shifting her gaze, there was a sense of uneasiness that overcame her. It wasn't as if they hadn't been alone before, but things had changed since then and she wasn't too sure about how she felt. Looking down at her homework, she swiftly moved her quill up and down the page. Draco looked over to her paper to see that she was working on a potions essay. Giving it a few minutes, he collected his thoughts before getting irritated by the silence between them.

"How's potions going?" Draco casually looked over at her.

"It's…fine," Hermione wouldn't glance over to him.

"How's Weasel?"

"Mind your own business," Hermione bit her words harshly.

"What the Hell is going on with you?" Draco stood up. "You've been acting like this for a few days now and I'm kind of getting sick of it."

"Oh, really? What are you going to do about it?" Hermione looked over at him with a fierceness he didn't quite understand.

"Is this just your time of the month or is there actually something going on with you?" Draco looked confusedly at her.

"Shut up, Draco," Hermione couldn't help but give off a smile. Even when he was being a complete moron and he made stupid assumptions like that, he somehow put her mind at ease.

"Did something happen? Did I say something or...do something?" Draco sat down in his chair and then relaxed. His eyes wouldn't leave the girl who seemed to be trying to find the answer somewhere in the air.

"N—no, it's just…what are we doing?" Hermione put her head in her palm as she glanced over at the boy. "Look at us, trying to be friends…who are we trying to fool?"

"Trying to be friends?" Draco said in a way which Hermione couldn't quite make sense. It was more of the way that he said it that made it hard to understand. He always said things in a certain way, emphasizing certain vowels to get his point across, but this time it wasn't comprehensible.

"Draco, we're enemies, we're opposites, we shouldn't be buddy-buddy with each other. It's not like any of your friends will ever accept me and mine certainly won't accept you." She pointed out blatantly.

"I don't want your bloody friends to accept me! I don't care about your damn friends, Granger!" Draco shouted as he stood up once again. "Since when did you—miss know-it-all, start to think for even a second that I actually wanted to be your friend? Huh? Is that what you thought this was? We are not friends, Granger. We're barely acquaintances! It's ridiculous for you to think otherwise," He grabbed his bag and slung it on his shoulder.

"Draco, don't…I didn't mean…please, don't go," Hermione tried as she stood to her feet.

"No," He demanded roughly, "This is what you wanted, I think you made that clear enough." With that, Draco was out the door. Hermione sat in the library and stared at the clock that seemed to move by even slower now that he was gone and she was all alone. Giving a soft sigh, she tried to focus back on her homework though it was seemingly difficult for her.

* * *

Hermione made her way over to the abandoned courtyard. It had been a whole week since Draco's outburst and he hadn't showed up to class since. Becoming a bit worried about him, she tried to nonchalantly ask around, but it got her nowhere. No one seemed to really know anything about what had happened to him. Sitting down on a stone bench, Hermione looked down at the rose in her hand. As she bit her lip, she noticed a figure walking towards her. She didn't look up, because she feared that it would be Ron. They had been with each other all day to celebrate some dumb muggle holiday that Hermione really didn't believe in anyway. But it was a nice gesture that he gave her a rose. When her eyes finally lifted up due to curiosity she noticed that it was Draco who was standing in front of her. She suddenly felt her eyes begin to water.

"What's the rose for?" He sat down next to her as if nothing had happened between the two. At first, Hermione wanted to yell at him for just walking out the other day. She wanted to be mad and angry with him, and make him hurt just as much as she did. But when she thought about it over again, and realized that she was more happy that he had went out of his way to come see her, so she let all of that go. It wasn't worth it in the end—not for her anyway.

"It's a muggle holiday…" Hermione softly said, looking back down at the red rose, "It's called Valentine's Day."

"So muggle's give each other flowers?" He didn't sound too impressed.

"Kind of," She began, "It's a holiday where people confess their feelings for each other…romantic feelings. Some people buy each other candy, or flowers, and sometimes stuffed animals."

"So I take it the rose was from Ron?" Draco looked up at the night sky.

"Yeah," Hermione answered, "Ron actually took me out today…to dinner. He took me to a cute little pub in Hogsmede. Then afterwards we spent the evening skipping stones down at the lake and talking about old times. Then he gave me a flower, kissed me, and then told me that he loved me."

There was a long pause between the two. It was so quiet that they could hear every little sound that the wind made, every chirp that the birds made and every song that the crickets played. Leaning her head against the stone wall, Hermione's eyes went to the stars where she tried to make out figures in her mind. When Draco finally glanced over at her, she was still so wrapped up in her starwatching that she didn't even notice his gaze upon her. He took this opportunity to get a good look at her up close. They were always so rigid around each other and she tended to keep her distance. It made sense to Draco, but it did bother him a little that the girl couldn't just relax when she was with him.

"What did you say?" He questioned.

"Huh?" Her sleepy eyes fell on him with a questionable expression on her face.

"What did you say to him after he told you he loved you?" Draco clarified.

"I didn't," Hermione bit her lip harshly, "I didn't say anything at all. In fact, I grabbed my bag and I left."

"Is that what muggle's are supposed to do?" Draco clearly was a pureblood who was never exposed to anything muggle-related.

"No," She shook her head, "They are supposed to tell the other person that they love them back,"

"Well, why didn't you?" Draco asked the inevitable.

"Because…I don't love him," She looked over to him.

They shared another long, quiet moment with one another. This time they both stared at one another in the most intimate way they ever had. As the sky got a few shades darker, Hermione realized that it must have been about midnight and still here they were, just staring. Standing to her feet and breaking the silence, she flattened out her dress in the front. Draco quickly stood up next to her and watched her sudden movements and timid manner. Pulling out her bag, Hermione reached within it and pulled out a rose that had been delicately painted black. Handing it over to him, she allowed herself to give him a genuine smile.

"What's this?" Draco seemed puzzled as he took it from her.

"It's a black rose," Hermione replied, "I thought black was more of your color than red."

"Are you going to tell me that you love me?" Draco towered over her with a growing grin on his pale face. Hermione looked up at him and gave a small laugh.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Draco," She giggled, "I like you very much."

"Well, I don't have a rose for you," He shrugged, "But...you're not so bad yourself."

Draco leaned down close to her. Feeling his warm breath tingling on her skin, she began to have a memory. There were words…words that were too vague for her to clearly remember. They were said in a sing-song tone, almost like the words simply rolled off someone's tongue. It seemed too familiar, like he had really been this close before. Had he been this close to her before? No—he couldn't have, he's a mere inch away from her lips. As her pulse raced and her heart pounded through her chest, she wondered if he could hear it. Could he feel the familiar-ness? Could he feel the safeness that she was experiencing? Could he feel the way that everything else was just sort of melting away and all that was left in the world was them in the courtyard on a chilly night?

"Goodnight, Granger," He whispered calmly, before heading back into the castle where he disappeared within the shadows of the halls that he knew too well.

Though this Valentine's Day hadn't turned out quite the way she had hoped it would, she was glad that she got to spend the last few moments of her night with the Ferret.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Black Rose

"We need to talk," Ron pulled Hermione aside after class. Though Hermione wanted to just let the whole situation die down, she knew that he needed this. Looking around the classroom, she noticed Draco who was particularly interested in this. Giving him a careful look, he understood that this meant that she would most likely be late for study hall.

"Yeah, we do," Hermione followed Ron out to the hallway, where they waited for other students to leave. At this moment, she caught herself staring at her hands that were beginning to shake. Why was this such a hard task for her? She had been best friends with Ron for years…but then again, maybe that's what made all of this so difficult. Trying to clear her head from Draco, she inhaled deeply and looked up at the redhead who was curiously staring at her. "Listen Ron, I didn't mean to upset you last night, I guess I just got scared and anxious…I don't really know what came over me."

"You left," Ron cleared his throat, "I told you that I loved you and you just walked away. You didn't say anything back…"

"I know, but I was—" She tried to make an excuse but she couldn't come up with one in the adequate amount of time that he had given her to answer.

"You could have just explained to me how you felt." Ron crossed his arms.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Hermione defended her actions.

"Yeah, because walking away really let me down easy," Ron's words rolled off his tongue too easily.

"Ron, I care about you a lot, you know that. We're best friends and I don't want that to change. But I don't think I've ever loved anyone before." Hermione started to go on, but he quickly interrupted her.

"It's okay to be scared," Ron put his hand over hers in a kind gesture, "It's okay to be…confused by this, okay? I'm pretty scared too, I've never felt so strongly about someone until now. But if you'll just be honest with me, I can be honest with you. I know that you love me, you don't have to say it if it's too hard right now. But…just don't walk away from me, okay? I can't deal with that."

Hermione's expression changed on her face as she realized what he had just said. It was as if he had shot her in the chest with her own gun. Had he really found a way to change all of her words to mean something completely different? She went into this conversation hoping to state that there was a clear line between friends and a relationship and they were not going to cross that line anymore. But somehow he turned all of what she was saying against her to make a reliable excuse for why they should continue to pursue a romantic relationship. Standing there, rather blankly at this point, Hermione felt a bit light headed.

"I have to get to study hall," Hermione finally found words that she hoped he wouldn't use as ammunition against her intentions.

"Alright, I'll see you after class," Ron leaned in and kissed her on the very edge of her lips.

Hermione watched the boy stroll away down the hall in a happy gait. Biting her lip and taking a slow breath, she started down the hall to the library.

* * *

When Hermione entered the library, she saw Draco sitting in a chair at the large table which was completely bare. Approaching, Hermione realized that they were the only ones in the library. Susan and Darrel were making quite the impression. As she sat down quietly, Draco peered over at her. The two sat in an awkward silence for a moment before he finally decided to initiate a conversation.

"Black roses…" Draco's voice trailed off.

"What about them?" Hermione seemed interested in this.

"Why did you give me a black rose?" He sat up in his chair and leaned over the table.

"It was Valentine's Day…seemed like a nice gesture." She shrugged as she pulled out her novel.

"Black roses don't exist in nature, you know?" He offered, giving a glance to the grandfather clock. "They have to be made by dyeing the rose a black color."

"Yes, I know." Hermione flipped through the pages and began to seem highly uninterested in the conversation now.

"Black roses symbolize a few different things," Draco began, "I've read that they can symbolize death. Do you wish death on me, Granger?"

"Now and again," Hermione shifted her gaze up to him and talked in a playful voice. This made Draco smile, which in return made Hermione get a strange feeling inside of her. She could make even the devil crack a smile now? Well, clearly she was becoming talented.

"I'm rubbing off on you," He said, "Keep it up and you just may start sporting a green tie, instead of a red one."

"I'd never wear green willingly," Hermione stood up straight in her chair with confidence radiating through her smile.

"I bet you will this weekend,"

"Why's that?" Hermione shifted forward in the wooden seat beneath her.

"Slytherin vs. Gryffindor in Quidditch," Draco explained, "I think that as a symbol of our new friendship you should wear something green—to support me of course."

"We'll see…" Hermione squinted slightly as she looked at the boy, "Green isn't really my color, and plus, the Weasel might be offended."

She stopped after she said that, and held her breath. Part of her couldn't believe what she had just said. How could she call her best friend such a terrible thing? Placing her small hand over her mouth, she looked down to her lap where her other hand lay, shaking. Maybe he was rubbing off on her—probably a little bit too much. Hermione was never the girl to change how she looked or acted due to the people around her. But for some reason, when it came to Draco…she couldn't help it. It was as if she was simply seeing things his way, giving him leeway to his remarks, and adapting to his lifestyle. Biting her lip, Hermione finally let out a long breath with reluctance.

"Don't worry, we're alone," Draco remarked, "It's not like I would tell anyone that you slipped up. Who could blame you for slipping up anyway, I mean…look at him,"

"Draco!" Hermione whispered, "Enough is enough,"

For the rest of the hour, Hermione kept her eyes glued to her book and she tried not to think too much about the recent event. She felt so guilty for running off the other night, and now this. Concentrating even harder on the tragic love story before her, she couldn't help but to begin thinking about the rose she had given to him. What did it really mean? Thinking in her head over the reasons why she picked it up at the florists when she picked up a rose for her other close friends, Hermione stared at her feet. When she heard Draco abruptly stand up and walk away, she quickly rushed to his side and put a hand on his.

"Draco, I…I'm sorry," She pulled her hand away as she felt her face turn a light shade of red, "I just wanted to let you know…" Pausing again, she caught her breath, "Black roses can mean all sorts of different things. They can symbolize someone's death…or someone's loss, mourning in general really. But they can also represent sadness or grief, even human nature…which isn't always…pure. But what a lot of people don't know is that black roses can mean positive things too. They can mean rareness, and deep devotion, they can even mean starting fresh. See, black roses are generalized and judged for their color and for what people interpret them to be from far away. Black roses are just…misinterpreted and misunderstood. So that's why I got you a black rose, specifically, Draco. I think that you're a wonderful person with a hard outer shell that tends to shield people away. I just think that you're a really good person and that you're just…misunderstood."

Draco stood there and looked down at the girl before him. He was trying to take in all of what she had just said. At first he understood her perfectly, but it was taking him a few moments to process the end of her explanation. Before he could properly respond to her, she waved goodbye and left him standing there. So he watched her walk through the library and out the door. He knew that Granger was deep and that she had her own…odd ways about her, but he had never pictured that she actually had a real, genuine reason for getting him a black rose, other than because he was a pretty elusive character, who obviously favored the color black. Readjusting his bag, Draco began walking out of the library and to his next class.

* * *

"So, things between you and Hermione are really getting serious, huh?" Harry turned to his friend who was sitting down in front of the fire in the common room.

"Yeah, I think she's going to start opening up to me a lot more." Ron gave his friend a smile, "You know, I haven't been completely honest with her for a few years now. And…I love her, I really do. I think I've loved her since the day I've met her."

"You hated her when you first met her," Harry laughed, remembering old times.

"I didn't hate her, I just found her annoying. But the more she came around, the more I fell for her. She has that effect on people, you know? She starts off really annoying and super easy to push away. But after she comes around for a while, you just sort of become addicted to her presence. You just begin feeling strong feelings when you're with her and you can't help it. Even throughout the years, she can yell at you, scream at you—even cry like a mad woman…but you still want to see her face the next morning when you wake up." Ron was looking into the fire as he spoke.

"Have you told her that?" Harry turned to his friend. It was nice to hear about something pleasant and not about recent events that had dampened everyone's moods lately.

"No…I wouldn't know how to tell her all of that." Ron shook his head, "When I get around her…I just kind of…respond differently to everything. Sometimes it works out in my favor, sometimes it works against me. But I love her, Harry, I really do, and I love myself when I'm around her. Honestly, I think she makes me a better person."

"I think that too," Harry agreed as he stared on into the fire. "I think you both bring out the best in each other."

What both boys didn't know was that Hermione was standing at the end of the stairs that leaded up to the girl's dormitory. She had come down originally to talk to her friends, but when she headed out she heard her name in their conversation. So she sat down on the edge of a step and listened to the boys who carried on their conversation. After listening, Hermione wasn't too sure how she was supposed to feel. Standing up quietly, she felt tears forming at her lids. How could she deny someone who obviously cared about her so much? How was she going to end this relationship that she didn't even want to get into in the first place? Crawling into her bed, Hermione closed her eyes and tried to think of something positive to get her through the night. All she could manage to do was give her best effort to remember that long ago memory she was still recalling. That voice was so familiar and dark. It had a slick tone which crept into her mind whenever she gave it thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

One Day

Hermione looked around at the crowded Quidditch stands, as she sat down by herself. Looking up in the air, she tried to find Harry and Ron who had been practicing a lot lately so they could beat their enemies. But Hermione's attention was quickly taken away by the blonde boy who was flying through the air as if it was nothing. She couldn't help but to get a small smile on her face as she reached softly for her earrings that had a small, green emeralds inside of them.

"Hermione," Neville sat down beside her with a grin on his face, "Ready to see Gryffindor win?"

"Yeah," Hermione lied with a bright smile, since she had a gut feeling that Draco would catch the snitch before Harry could even see it.

The entire Quidditch game, the scores were pretty even. Both houses were hanging off the edge of their seats, screaming for their team to win. Within a matter of seconds, Draco saw the ball and shot down towards it. Harry noticed his quick movements and followed behind him closely. Draco reached out his hand to grab the snitch, but Harry bumped into him, pushing him to the side where he almost hit the stands. So in order not to crash, Draco had to swerve away from the Quidditch field which put him at a disadvantage. As he muttered words under his breath, he flew back so that he was only an inch away from Harry. The two glanced at each other for a moment with eagerness.

"Maybe next time, Potter," Draco shoved into him and simultaneously reached out his hand to grab the snitch. The crowd in the Slytherin stands went wild. Hermione jumped up with a smile on her face, but then quickly sat back down. As she looked around, she noticed that none of her team mates really saw, but as she looked over at the Slytherin stand, she saw that Pansy was staring at her dead in the eye.

As the teams left the Quidditch field, Hermione rushed down the steps and went into the castle. She wanted to make her way to the girl's dormitory before she would have to face Pansy who she knew would be asking questions. Rushing up the stairs, Hermione heard something behind her. Trying to grab her wand, she felt a hand grab her hair and jerk her back to the ground, which made her fall down a flight of stairs. When she reached the end of the flight, she hit her head against the stone wall. Getting up to her feet, she tried to hold up her wand, but Pansy pushed her back against the stone wall and got in her face.

"I don't know who you think you're trying to fool, but you won't fool me." She said, "Whatever is going on between the two of you, end it."

"Leave me alone," Hermione tried to push the girl away, but she was too strong.

"Draco is mine," Pansy looked at the girl confidently, "Stay away from him, or I swear to Merlin, you'll get what you deserve."

Hermione watched Pansy walk away in a haughty manner. Reaching for her wand, Hermione began to feel really light headed and weak. Biting her lip, she began to slide down the wall. Her head began spinning and she felt faint-like. As a figure approached her, she felt them pick her up and carry her away. But within minutes she went out completely and she woke up, she was in the hospital. Opening her eyes and looking around, she saw Harry sitting next to her. He gave her a smile as he reached down and hugged her.

"You scared us," Harry began, "Ron just went to get a shower,"

"I…I don't feel good," She breathed out.

"The doctor said that you still have that virus. She thinks that's why you fell down the stairs. Maybe its best that you stay hospitalized for a while, you know? I feel like you're only going to get hurt." He put his hand on her arm.

"I don't want to miss school, and I just can't do that, okay?" Hermione put her other hand on her forehead and took a few breaths.

"You're going to be okay, Hermione." Harry looked down at his friend who didn't look so happy or comforted by his words.

"Can you do me a favor?" Hermione breathed, "Can you just…can you tell Ron I don't want to see anyone else tonight. I just want to be alone."

"Okay," Harry nodded, understanding her wishes, "Okay, well…we'll come back tomorrow."

That night, Draco came into the hospital and sat down next to her. She was feeling a bit worse at night and so she couldn't really come-to fully. He pulled out the novel that he had been reading to her before and began whispering further on. Draco continued to take his eyes of the page and look at the girl carefully. There was a small piece of him that wanted to crawl into the hospital bed with her and hold her. But he tried to not let this get the best of him as he continued to read on in the book.

* * *

After another week, Hermione was doing a lot better and was released from the hospital wing. Getting ready to head to study hall, Hermione found herself still a bit sore from the incident with Pansy. She considered telling Draco about this, but then she decided against it. It wasn't as if he could really do anything about it and she figured that there really was no reason to bring it up. Reaching the table in the library, she looked over to Draco carefully.

"They're gone…again," Draco hinted over to the empty seats.

"I wasn't sure if you would make it in today," Hermione replied.

"If I wasn't here, then who would be here to bother you?" He smiled as he closed his notebook where he had been doodling, "So, I was thinking…"

"Well, there's a first," Hermione's gaze snapped up to Draco's.

"Wow," Draco crossed his arms, "That almost hurt my feelings," He took a moment to pretend as though he had been wounded by her words.

"Stop," Hermione laughed at his poor attempt, "What were you thinking about?"

"We've been in study hall together for quite some time now…we've been friends for a while," He sat up on the table with his feet dangling off.

"Yeah," Hermione replied more so with a questionable tone.

"So, this is your idea of fun, sitting in the library? Well, I haven't had a chance to show you my idea of fun," Draco slid off the table and took her hand in his.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Hermione shook her head. "What if they come to check on us and we're not here?"

"They never come any other day, why would they come now?" Draco shrugged, "Come on, just give me one day."

"N—no, Draco," She bit her lip. Why was it so hard to deny him? It had been so much easier before all of this had happened.

"I should have guessed," He leaned over her, "You don't have it in you,"

Hermione immediately shot up from her desk and grabbed her bag. Biting her tongue viciously, she watched him head towards the door. What was she doing? Though she didn't know what she was getting herself into, she knew that it couldn't be good.

"Draco, I—I don't think this is a good idea—lets head back to the library."

"Ease up, Granger," Draco flashed her a quick glance as they lurked within the halls, "You're so tense." He whispered. When his breath lingered across her skin, she felt chills running up her spine. It gave her a sensation that she felt somewhere once before. Giving him a puzzled gaze, she tried to remember a memory that was just out of her reach.

It was only a matter of minutes before they were in the Slytherin's common room. Hermione walked around for a few moments, noticing how similar yet different it was to the Gryffindor's. The room was set up the same, but the colors and decorations were completely different. It made her feel rather dark. Before she could make any further observations, Draco called out her name. When she turned, she saw him on the stone steps, waving her over. This was ridiculous, there was absolutely no way that they could get away with this. But against her better judgment, she followed him up the stairs simply out of curiosity. She had never gone up into the boy's dormitory, not even the Gryffindor's.

Leading her up the stairwell, he kept looking back at her. Part of him thought that she would make a run for it at any moment. Another part of him—the more dominant part, was too happy to care. He had finally broken the barrier between the two. They could finally be friends—or at least something close to it. Opening the heavy, wooden door, he let her go in first. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of the darkness and eeriness of the place. Walking next to her, he watched her actions closely. After waiting for a her to say something, he broke the silence.

"This is mine," He walked up to the bed that was clothed in the most beautiful silk that she had ever seen. "It's nothing exciting…I just thought that I'd show you the castle from my side."

Hermione walked to his bed and put her hand on it just to feel the smoothness of the black cloth. Looking up at the black pillow, she saw a black rose on it. As she picked it up in her hand, she turned around to him with a smile on her face.

"You…you kept it," Hermione smiled, looking up at him.

"Yeah," He nodded as he put his hands in his pockets, "I keep everything that I like."

Draco was now giving her a look that Hermione didn't know how to take. He was staring at her a bit admirably. Giving him another smile, she put the rose back down. After taking her by the hand, he led her back to the hallways of the castle.

Hermione gave in to his temptations, so she continued to follow him without questioning too much. Hermione was lost in her thoughts during this time. Pulling her out of the doorway, they entered the empty courtyard. It wasn't until now that she had noticed the black broomstick in his left hand. Realizing this, she pulled away from his grip. At first, he was confused by her actions, but it only took a moment to understand what she was frightened about. Glancing at his the broomstick, he gave a small sigh.

"What's wrong?" Draco moved closer to her, "Don't you trust me?"

There was a slight pause.

"I figured you didn't," He shrugged as he walked on, "It's okay, I won't make you do anything you don't want to. We can just walk to Hogsmede."

"Why are we going?" She was reluctant to walk any further.

"I really wish you would just trust me." He shook his head with a soft laugh, "I was just going to get us some drinks."

Hermione silently followed him again, still against her better judgment. When they got to Hogsmede, Draco went in alone to grab the drinks. Hermione kept her head low and acted as though she had a purpose being out and about. When he came back out, he led her once again—this time back to Hogwarts ground. He finally stopped and sat down once they reached the forest. Knowing that they were all alone, she considered turning back and making an excuse for having to leave. But the longer she observed the tall, blonde, she noticed that his guard was completely down. Draco let out a deep breath as he watched Hermione sit down next to him in a reserved manner.

"So…" She began, "This is your idea of fun?"

"Yeah," He pulled out two bottles of firewhiskey.

"I—I," Hermione looked at the bottle that he was trying to pass over to her.

"I'm not trying to get you drunk," He laughed, "It's just to loosen you up a bit. You are literally the most tense girl I've ever met."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Hermione shook her head, "I'm really not that thirsty anyway," She shrugged.

Draco pulled out his wand and started a small fire a few feet in front of them. It had been getting pretty cold out and the sky was turning a soft black color. They probably spent a good few hours sitting next to one another. About a half an hour into it, Hermione gave in and took the drink from him. Though the firewhiskey burned her throat, she continued to drink on. Looking over at the fire, Hermione carefully knocked down the bottle on the ground. Draco didn't see it, so he assumed that when she lifted the bottle to her lips she was actually drinking. Gradually, Hermione tried to make herself relax and seem a bit…buzzed. Though she wasn't a good actor, it didn't matter because he was getting slightly drunk anyway. He grabbed her hand and carefully led her out of the forest and to the lake nearby.

Hermione remembered thinking to herself that this was a really bad idea. But again, she had already decided to just give him this one day. She figured the worst that could happen is she didn't have a good time. So as they reached the lake, Draco took off his robes, black slacks and shirt. Looking over to Hermione, it was as if he expected something. But all he got was a laugh from her as she neared him. Shaking her head, he pulled her close to him. He towered over her, and brushed his lips against hers. It gave her feelings that she had never had before. His hands moved from her jaw, down to her robe, where he unhooked it. Kissing her again, this time with a bit more force, he pulled her closer to the water.

"D—Draco," Hermione said between breaths, "S—stop, we…can't,"

He pulled her closer and picked her up into his arms. Carrying her out into the water, he leaned down and dipped her in. Hermione let out a scream as she began laughing uncontrollably. Her clothes were becoming soaking wet and her hair was dripping everywhere. When she got back to her feet, Draco had begun swimming away further into the water. She followed after him as she called out his name. He held her in his arms again and he kissed her, this time more passionately than before.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Glooming Presence

Draco reached over to put his hand on her, but she pulled herself away. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was on the verge of crying. He didn't understand what had gotten her to at this point. They hadn't fought—at least not actually fought for a few weeks now. They spent all of their time teasing one another in completely harmless ways and then talking about random subjects. He advanced towards her once more, trying to reassure her that whatever was going on would be okay. But she pushed him, this time a harsh and rough motion. Staring at her wildly, Draco moved closer to her once more, but this time kept a bit of distance between them.

"Granger," Draco looked around the library to find that they were still alone, "What's going on?"

"Why do you care?" Hermione rudely asked, "Why would you, a pureblood like yourself care about a mudblood, like me, huh?"

"Granger, I don't care about our blood," Draco tried to tell her.

"Well whatever you care about it, you certainly don't care about me!" Hermione hollered.

"What have I done to you?" Draco wondered aloud.

"Just stay away with me," Hermione moved away to him and toward the table.

"Granger, just calm down, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up. Would you please just—just sit down." Draco pulled out a chair for her.

"I don't want to calm down! I don't want to sit down! I don't want to—Merlin, Draco, just bloody leave!" She screamed, "Just leave, I don't want to…be here with you,"

"Did someone hurt you or say something?" Draco moved closer to her, trying to put his arms up in case she were to suddenly faint again. "You look tired, Hermione, you look weak." He began having visions of how she was the day she fainted after class. Her looks reminded him much of how she was before.

"You don't get it do you, Draco? I don't want this anymore! I don't want you to come around, I don't want your help with potions homework, I don't want you to talk to me anymore, and I don't want you to even look at me! I don't want you, Draco. Do you get it? I don't want you as a friend or anything more than that, I just want to go back to how things used to be. I'll be that filthy little mudblood and you'll be the foul evil little cockroach, okay? Because that's how it's supposed to be, not this!" She shouted as her hands went clammy and her head felt hot.

"Granger, you're going to faint if you don't settle down." Draco warned her.

"You don't know anything about me, Draco! You don't know a bloody thing about me!" Hermione shook her head as she began crying in front of him.

"I don't know anything about you? I know that your favorite color is green, though you'll deny it 'til your death, I know that you're the brightest witch of your age but you have issues with letting people in and actually trusting them, I know that you have just as many pride issues as I have, I know that you're under a lot of stress and you're confused about your relationship with everyone right now, I know that you have problems accepting what life throws at you, and I know that you go so far out of your way if that means not troubling others. I know that you love all of your friends and you'd do anything for them, even if it means risking your own life. You know why? Because that's just who you are, you damn Otter!" He hollered at her. "You know what else I know about you?"

"What?" Hermione spat at him.

"You weren't in the hospital because you had some nasty virus that was going around." Draco looked at her dead in the eye. Her mouth parted slightly, and her heart began pounding. How could he possibly know the truth? It was confidential, and it wasn't as if he ever visited her while she was in the hospital, (not that she blamed him for that). "You were in the hospital because you have cancer. But you won't let anyone know that—not even the ones who are closest to you, who would do anything for you, because you're too afraid that you'll make them worry and that would just be inconvenient, now wouldn't it?"

Hermione stood there with tears streaming down her face. She went to say something—but before she was able to make a sound, she became weak and she collapsed into his arms. Draco sighed as he picked her up in his arms and carried her down to the hospital wing. Looking down at her, he noticed how weak she was becoming and how much worse it was affecting her this time than it had before. The sight of it almost made Draco tear up, but he pushed on anyway. After setting her down in the hospital bed, two nurses approached them. One immediately attended to her care, while the other pulled Draco away to ask him questions. Looking up, Draco took note that the nurse that had pulled him aside was the same one that had been giving him the key to the hospital wing when Hermione was in the hospital before.

"Tell other's that you guys found her in the hall heading towards the hospital and she fell to the ground a few steps before she got to the door. Leave me out of this one, okay? The last thing I need is for her friends to come prying around thinking that I did something to hurt her." Draco explained as he began heading out of the room, "I'll come back after visiting hours are over,"

* * *

Draco lurked in the shadows down to the hospital wing and waited for the last few visitors to leave. Looking back over his shoulder, Draco noticed a person who was lingering nearby him. When their eyes met, the two became silent. Draco was unsure what to say. He couldn't remember the other students who were in the hospital, so he didn't know what story to make up. But the girl simply spoke so that he didn't have to.

"I know…I know why you're here," Luna carefully neared him, "And you don't have to explain a thing to me, I completely understand. I just want to know…Hermione…she doesn't have a virus, does she?"

"No," Draco softly said as he shook his head.

"I didn't think so." Luna had tears in her eyes, "I'm not going to tell anyone—about her condition or about you visiting,"

"Thank you," Draco's eyes gazed over the girl who quickly turned away and walked down the hall.

Draco made his way into the hospital wing and went to Hermione's bed. He closed the curtain and sat down next to her in a familiar way. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and gave her a long gaze. Part of him felt really guilty that he had got her so worked up, but he was just trying to get a point across. He couldn't help it anymore, he wasn't ashamed and he wasn't going to hide it—not to her. Draco was undeniably in love with Hermione and there was no stopping it now. Pulling out the book he had been reading to her, he opened up the novel and started reading from where Hermione had left off.

* * *

"Who brought her in here?" Ron asked the nurse.

"She brought herself in." The nurse replied as Draco had wished. "She'll be okay, though. It's that same terrible virus. Sometimes it hits multiple times,"

"There has to be some kind of medicine, some sort of vaccine that will stop this," Harry gave his two senses as he looked down at her body.

"Why wouldn't she have gotten ahold of one of us? We would have took her to the hospital wing," Ron shook his head as he sat next to the girl.

"It really is just a bad virus," The nurse explained, "She's going to be just fine."

* * *

Draco spent the next few days in study hall looking up the specific cancer, all of its side effects and all of the possibilities. There was a chance she could beat it and be just fine. There was a chance that she could even outgrow it and it could miraculously leave her body entirely. So after doing just about all of the research he could possibly do, he began researching other options—for him. He went to the counselor's office the next day to have a talk with him. Draco remembered being there a few times before, but nothing ever really came from it. He had never cared about what he would do after Hogwarts, he didn't care about his education in general. But that had suddenly changed.

"A Healer?" The man laughed, "There's a lot of work that goes into it, I don't think you fully understand. People's lives will be on the line. You'll have to save all kinds of people, Draco. Are you really prepared for all that responsibility?"

"I can do whatever I set my mind to." Draco stood up, remembering a previous conversation that he had had with Granger a few days prior. "I want to do this,"

"Mr. Malfoy, I don't think that with your records…your scores…I'm not sure if it's even possible."

"I'm intelligent," Draco remarked, "I just haven't pushed myself hard enough, and if you just let me prove to you that I have it in me…"

"This is pretty drastic. Just a few weeks ago you weren't sure what you wanted to do, where you wanted to go, you had absolutely no plans. Now all of a sudden you want to be a Healer?" The man leaned forward in his chair, as he bit down eagerly on the end of his pen.

"I am going to become a Healer, regardless of what you say. I'm serious about this, okay? So put it down—in my record, got it?" Draco stood up straight in his chair.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy," The counselor pulled out his file and began scribbling through the files. After sitting there for a few moments in silence, Draco finally stood up. When he made his way to the door, he heard his counselor call after him. Though he wanted to leave, he gave a glance back to him.

"Can I ask you one more question?" His eyebrows raised on his face.

"You already did." Draco said half-jokingly.

"What made you change your mind? About doing something with your life?" The man stood up to his feet and stayed behind his desk. His eyes were glued on Draco with intense curiosity.

"Someone changed my mind about a lot of things," Draco answered before leaving the office.

* * *

Someone did change his mind and his entire life. Honestly, there were very few things that hadn't changed with him within the last few months. Granger changed…everything. She changed his perspective, his outlook, his thoughts, his personal beliefs, she even changed his heart. He would never admit it to anyone, especially not to Granger, but he was developing emotions that he never had before. Looking down at his hands, Draco replayed the events that had happened the night before. Though he wasn't happy that she had fainted, he was glad that she had fallen into him. She had never trusted him before. No matter how close they got, it seemed like nothing he could do would make her see that he wasn't against her. But in that moment, right before she fainted…he could see it in her eyes. She knew that she was about to faint, she knew that she was about to crash and her body would give up for a little while. During those last few seconds, she pushed herself towards him, she purposely fell into his arms, and even if it was just in a moment of anxiousness or sickness, she trusted him.

Draco couldn't necessarily blame her for having trust issues with him. He was able to see that she had those issues with practically everyone. But they were enemies, weren't they? Or at least, they were supposed to be. That's what everyone had thought, anyway. That's what they assumed. They still kept their friendship private, and he was wondering if she had begun questioning his motives. It did made sense, after all, even if it was absurd. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, he had already done too much of that.

Draco made his way into the hospital and sat down on the edge of Hermione's bed. She was looking a lot better than she had before, but she was still clearly sick. Leaning down to get a good look at her, he brushed her hair away from her face like he normally did. He was beginning to get so comfortable with her—at least when she was asleep. He always wondered if she had ever remembered any of his nightly visits, but more importantly, even if she did remember, would she ever say anything about it? Pulling out a novel from her bag that was leaning against the hospital bed, he began reading the last few passages since that's where they left off.

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings; The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: Go hench, to have more talk of these sad things; Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Draco looked down at the page as if something else would appear. There had to be more, this had to be some sort of sick joke. When he finally understood that it was the ending, he shut the book quickly. Letting out a scoff, he shook his head and muttered angry, inaudible words under his breath.

When he looked down at Hermione and a tear fell down his cheek. He wasn't crying, but he wasn't going to stop the tear that had already managed to free itself. As he moved closer to her, he put his arms on either side of her. He wondered for a slight moment if that was how Romeo felt when he was looking down at Juliet. As he kept his gaze on her, the tear fell from his face and landed on hers. Her eyes slightly opened and she gave her best effort to smile. He wiped his tear from her face as her lips carefully parted.

"D—don't cry," She whispered, "That's the beauty of the story; it's a—a tragedy." After that, Hermione had fallen back into a deep slumber. Draco stood up from the chair and left the hospital with tears still streaming down his face.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

White Rose

"Is something wrong?" Luna asked Hermione who was sitting alone in the library the next afternoon. It took Hermione a few minutes to realize that Luna had been addressing her. When she turned to the girl, she gave her a smile and nodded her head. "Is something on your mind? Because…we can talk about it, you know?"

"If I tell you, can we keep it between you and I?" Hermione put down her book.

"Yes," Luna nodded as she sat down next to the girl.

"There are just so many things going on right now. But something that keeps bothering me is that I keep having this memory-dream-like experience. It's just one of those things that seem so far away and distant, yet your body seems to remember the emotions well. I sound crazy don't I?" Hermione stopped and laughed to herself.

"No, I know what you're talking about." Luna urged her to proceed.

"I keep hearing these words in my head…and there's this low voice that's saying it. I can't really see too much…but when I do it's of random objects. One time I saw a vague outline of a figure above me…at another point I saw an old fashioned lamp…it's all just so unclear. But the emotion, the vibe of it is just so real. And…it's haunting…you know? It's kind of scary because it's as if I was in someone else's body experiencing some sort of incident they went through. I guess I can't really make it sound like it makes any sense because…well it doesn't really make any sense at all." Hermione sighed as she dropped her head lower, feeling a bit defeated.

"Hermione, I have to confess something to you…" Luna began. Hermione looked over at the girl with a timid manner. What could she possibly have been keeping from her?

* * *

"So," Darrel whispered across the table, "I heard that Granger's been pretty upset about our absences,"

"I don't know, I can't imagine she really cares," Draco muttered as his eyes shifted around the room.

"I don't understand why she's so up-tight anyway. I mean, it's just study hall, what does she expect us to do?" Susan asked dumbly.

"Oh, I don't know…study?" Draco looked up at the two who quickly became silent.

"Susan, Darrel, it's nice to see you were able to make it in today." Hermione dropped her bags onto the table. "Now, please, excuse Draco and I for a moment."

Practically dragging along Draco, Hermione felt her blood boiling. When they reached the deserted hallway, Hermione finally released him and took a moment to think before speaking.

"What's going on?" Draco questioned.

"I think you bloody know what's going on," Hermione began in an angry way.

"Wait…why are you getting ready to yell at me?"

"You visited me in the hospital, didn't you?" Hermione hollered, "Why would you do that?"

"I thought we were…I mean, aren't we friends? I thought we already went through all of this, Granger. Why the Hell are you so angry?" Draco became very defensive.

"You came and saw me in the hospital! I was so weak that I couldn't remember all those nightly visits. Well…I've regained some of my memory, even though it's just a tad bit, but it's enough for me to understand that you were there! You came and you saw me…and I was…I was sick, Draco how could you…" Hermione started in an uproar again.

"You were sick, I came to see how you were doing. What did you expect me to do, huh? Did you want me to just not visit you at all? Did you want me to just hope that by some chance you were going to be okay? Or did you think that someone would just pass the news along to me? Because I'm pretty sure that we've made it clear that our relationship goes on behind closed doors." Draco started in an angry tone.

"It was," Hermione corrected him, "It was behind closed doors. But not anymore…"

"You told someone?" Draco questioned.

"During the time period I was in the hospital…so was Luna Lovegood. She saw you and heard what you did…so she told me today when we were talking." Hermione shook her head. "Why would you do this?"

"I was careful," Draco demanded, "I came only at night, and I had a deal with the nurse, it was strictly confidential."

"Well you weren't careful enough!" Hermione hollered.

"She isn't going to tell others, okay? I talked to her one night."

"You talked to her?" Hermione screamed.

"I couldn't lie to her, she knew exactly what I was doing. But she isn't going to tell anyone. Listen, Granger, I was just trying to help." Draco explained carefully.

"It doesn't matter anymore because this is done. This is over with, got it?" She shook her head.

"You're joking, right?" Draco moved towards her.

"No, I'm not." She shook her head, "We can't do this, Draco. We just can't."

"No, we can," Draco disagreed with her, "We've done it before, we can do it again."

"I don't want this!" Hermione screamed, "I can't do this, okay? This is over, it's done, it's dead!"

"I went out of my way to make sure you were alright, like a good friend would do, Granger! I stayed up late at night with you, I helped you out, I held you, I read to you some idiotic muggle book, and I held your hand when you needed me to. Whether you can recall any of that or not, it is not my fault. The point is, I was there for you…when you're so called 'best friends' weren't. And that should mean something, Granger. It should count for something, alright?" Draco looked furious at the girl.

"I didn't ask for it, I didn't ask for anything from you! I don't want anything from you, got it? So just leave me alone, stay away from me, and forget that any of this ever happened!" Hermione was getting all worked up again.

"Why the Hell can't you just trust me?" Draco looked down at her carefully. "Why can't you just understand? Do you want me to care or don't you? Because one minute your off running around with me and the next your screaming in my face! I don't know what you expect me to do! I don't know what else I can possibly do to help you or prove to you that I actually care! Because I do, Granger, I care!"

Hermione looked at him as though she was going to say something else. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of anything to say that she hadn't already. Stepping away from him, she shook her head and looked at the ground. Though she had been trying hard not to cry, she was beginning to believe that she was going to start sometime soon. He moved towards her, as if to somehow he could help her, but she quickly pulled away from him. He was trying to be patient and calm with her, but he couldn't. He didn't understand why she wouldn't just be happy that he had come to visit her. Why wouldn't she just be okay with the fact that he wanted to make sure she was okay? He was just being a good friend, wasn't he? Turning around and leaving the hall, Draco grabbed his bag from the library and then ditched class. When Hermione got back into the library she tried to hold herself together. But when she saw that Susan and Darrel had left, she ran to the girl's bathroom and broke down.

It was as if her world was just crashing down around her. Everything that had been leading up to this point was going so well in most ways, and now it all just crumbled before her eyes. There was nothing she could do to stop it. With tears streaming down her face, Hermione couldn't catch her breath. As she looked up to see her own reflection, she saw someone else in the mirror. Turning around to see a familiar face, she reached for her wand and prepared herself for battle.

"Quick to react, huh mudblood?" Pansy Parkinson had entered the room. "Look, it's just us alone now. Looks like we can finish what we started."

"Leave me alone!" Hermione shouted.

"I warned you to stay away from him, didn't I? I told you to keep your filthy paws off of him!" Pansy lifted her wand with a smile stretched across her face. "But you didn't listen to me,"

"I told him today that everything between us was over. So go run after him," Hermione yelled, "I don't want him, I never wanted him!" There were still tears in her eyes.

Pansy walked over to Hermione with a confident stride and took a good look at the girl. She put her wand away carefully as she watched Hermione do the same. Just as Hermione looked back up, Pansy grabbed onto Hermione's hair and yanked her down to the ground like she had before. Letting out a yelp, Hermione went crashing to the floor. Pansy fell atop of her and began punching the girl. Though there were still tears in Hermione's eyes, Pansy didn't hold back as she gave Hermione all that she had in her. If it wasn't for the fact that Hermione was still feeling pretty sick and weak, she could have had a good match with the girl. But unfortunately, health wise, Hermione wasn't her best and so she pretty much just tried to defend herself.

"Come on mudblood, show me what you've got!" Pansy kicked the girl up against the wall and then pulled out her wand. Using a spell which made her wand act as a knife, Pansy pulled Hermione's shirt up around the stomach, and made a long, thick gashes in it. As Hermione wailed and screamed for help, she tried to push Pansy away. After a few long moments of pain, Pansy just laughed. "Pathetic," The girl leaned down next to Hermione and spat in her face before leaving her there to bleed out some more.

It took Hermione a long time to be able to get up to her feet and make her way out of the bathroom. When she got to the girl's dormitory, she carefully bandaged herself up in private. She didn't want anyone to know of these scars because then she would have to explain why Pansy would get so upset at her to begin with. After putting on her pajamas, Hermione looked over to her bed where she saw something interesting. There was a white rose that was sitting on her pillow. Quickly walking over to it, Hermione gave it a long glance.

"A white rose symbolizes purity and innocence," Draco whispered from across the room. This startled Hermione beyond belief.

"D—Draco," She put a hand over her heart.

"I'm sorry, if it offended you that I went to the hospital. I'm sorry if it bothered you that I didn't tell you about it once you were out of the hospital. I'm sorry that I wasn't clever enough to be completely secretive. I'll make it up to you—I'll do anything you want…but I refuse to just leave and end this." Draco looked at her sternly.

"I don't even know what 'this' is." Hermione looked at him carefully.

"I don't either, but…I know that I don't want it to stop. Not now, not ever." Draco looked down at her.

The two stood silently in the girl's dormitory, looking at one another. Hermione took a step towards him and watched him carefully. He put his hand on the curve of her back and towered over her. His lips collided with hers and within seconds as he pushed her against the wall. As his body leaned against hers, Hermione squealed in pain. He pulled away for a moment and looked at her curiously. Giving an ashamed look to Draco, she pushed her hair behind her ears.

"I actually just…um, Pansy caught me alone in the bathroom," Hermione explained.

As Draco turned on a small lamp next to her bed, he noticed the bruises on her face and the blood dripping from her forehead. Quickly, he began helping her clean up. After fixing the visible wounds, he looked down at her, still questioning the pain. Hermione pulled up her shirt to show the bandages wrapped around her stomach. Carefully, she unraveled it to show him the cuts that Pansy inflicted on her. Placing his hands on her hips, he saw that the letters spelled out, 'Mudblood'. Looking back up at her, he helped her cover up the wounds again.

"She told me to stay away from you…and I didn't listen," Hermione went into detail, "She threw me to the ground and did as much damage as she could think to do."

"I—I need to go," Draco left the dormitory in a heated manner.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Pansy," Draco entered the crowded common room. She rose from her seat with the usual smile across her face. It was a smile that Draco had often seen before. To her, it represented victory, to Draco it represented ignorance. As she neared him, walking with pride, he put his hand on hers. This got a few Slytherin's attention, but most of them carried on their business. Seeing the two of them interacting so closely and romantically was simply normal to everyone. In fact, the more uncommon thing was to see Draco not romantically interacting with any Slytherin.

"Well, it's been a while," Pansy took a drink from her glass.

"Yes," He nodded, giving a careful glance around the room. He knew that there was absolutely no way that he could cause a scene in front of the whole house. "Come on," He led her up to the boy's dormitory where he shooed out any others. Making sure they were completely alone and locking the door, he turned over to see the girl who was standing by his bed eagerly.

"I've never seen you so tense," Pansy set her drink down on his night stand.

"You really shouldn't drink you know," Draco offered, "It brings out the worst in you,"

"Yet here we are, Draco. Just like always, you still come back to me." Pansy laughed as she stood up and walked to his side. Placing a hand on his cheek, she put her other hand on his shoulder. "You can be with other girls from time to time…you can run off and pretend like there isn't anything going on between us…but somehow fate always leads you right back here."

"You're right," Draco nodded, "You think I would know better by now. But still…you amaze me, Pansy."

"Damn right," She moved towards him aggressively as she ran her hand through his hair.

"I shouldn't have left you." Draco said, looking down in her eyes.

"Then don't ever leave me again," She pulled him down on top of her.

"Pansy…wait," Draco stood up and walked away towards the end of the bed where he put his hand over his forehead.

"What's wrong?" She quickly followed him, "Want me to go get you a drink?"

"N—no, I'll be fine," He knelt down to the ground as he wiped his face with his hand. Pansy knelt down slightly behind him and tried to pull him up. When she wasn't paying attention to his left hand, Draco pulled out a knife in his pocket and left a cut in her side—but only enough to make a small wound. She screamed out in pain as she fell onto her back, a bit too dramatic. Draco stood up and looked down at her with a dominant glare.

"D—Draco!" She screamed, looking down at the blood. "What's gotten into you?"

"There was already blood on the knife, Pansy," Draco showed her the knife that now had her blood on it as well.

"W—what?" Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. But as she stared at him, she noticed something change in appearance. His blonde hair suddenly grew out long and it changed to a shade of hazel brown. His skin turned from pale to a soft, tan color. All of his appearances one after the other changed into a soft looking manner until finally his lips changed into the perfectly soft shape.

"My blood was on this knife," Hermione gave her a smile as she walked out of the room. Exiting the dormitory, she put up her hood and looked down at the ground to make sure that no one saw her. She heard Pansy screaming all sorts of terrible language as she stormed around the dormitory. Normally she would never hurt anyone, but this was the exception. She needed to fight back for herself this time, and hopefully this would keep her away.

As she walked out into the courtyard, she saw Draco down at the boathouse. Walking down the steps, Hermione remembered the prior events. She had to calm Draco down and convince him to let her get the revenge. Thankfully, he remembered that he had made some polyjuice potion months before when things between them started getting a bit more serious. He had a feeling that this would possibly come in handy at some point during their relationship. Hermione walked in front of the boy who was staring at his reflection in the water.

"Don't be mad at me," She demanded, "I need to fight my own battles."

"I know you do…but it wasn't necessarily your battle to fight." Draco replied as he looked down at his hands.

"I only left a small scratch on her," Hermione explained, "She won't even need to go to the hospital wing to fix it. But she's being dramatic about it."

"I would have done more harm to her," Draco stated.

"I know you would have, that's why I had to do it." She noted aloud.

"Well, it's over now." Draco put his feet in the water, "She won't bother you again, Granger, I promise."

"Draco, I feel like we're fighting for a lost cause," Hermione bit her lip.

"Oh, yeah?" Draco asked.

"We're trying so hard…but, we're never going to be together Draco. Not really, anyway." Hermione shrugged, "Are we really going to be able to make this all public? What is your father going to think? We're enemies," Hermione sighed, "Everyone that I love hates you and everyone you love hates me."

"I don't love anyone except for you." Draco was quick to reply.

This made Hermione feel a mix of emotions. It made her feel good because he had never admitted that he loved her before. On the other hand, it made her feel odd that he never loved anyone before. Sure, she thought that his father was a maniac, but that didn't change the fact that he was his father. Therefore, he is his family and family should always stand by each other. Hermione forced herself to look down at the water as she fumbled through nice gestures that she could say. But there was only one she wanted to reply with, but it was just too hard for her to say. She didn't love him, did she? At least not yet, anyway. Of course, she cared deeply for him, but were they even around each other long enough to really love one another? That was a huge word that Hermione never took lightly. Plus, she had to think about Ron who was probably still hung up on the idea that they were going to one day raise a family of their own.

"Plus, I read this story one time," Draco ended the awkward silence forming between them, "It was a tragedy. There was this boy who fell helplessly in love with this girl and their love was deeply forbidden. It had a bad ending though, both of them died. But I think I learned from their mistakes."

"Hermione!" A voice called out from far up above.

"That's Ron," Hermione turned towards Draco. "Can you…just—just hide in the boathouse?"

"I thought we were going to make this public?" Draco laughed at her nervousness.

"Yeah, we can—it's just…I need to be able to let Ron down easy, okay? I'll talk with him this weekend, I promise you." Hermione told him, "I just don't want our friendship to end."

"A lot of friendships are going to end because of this, Granger." Draco gave her a serious glance.

"I know," She nodded, "Really, I do know that. But I want to try to save my relationship with Harry and Ron. I can't lose them, Draco."

"If they're your real friends, you won't lose them." Draco offered as he headed into the boathouse and left Hermione standing on the dock alone.

"Hermione, where were you today?" Ron observed her odd manner. "Are you down here alone? Or do you have company?"

"Yeah, I'm alone," She nodded, "I was just thinking about some things."

"Well, let's go back to the common room and spend the rest of the day together. I've missed you," He leaned in and kissed her.

Draco was watching from a window on the far side of the boathouse. When he saw Ron's lips on hers, it made his temper rise. Clenching his fists, he watched how Hermione didn't push him away. Looking back at the water, he tried to clear his mind. He just wished that Ron and Hermione would leave already so he could try to fill his time with other things. But he knew that for the rest of the day he would be thinking about her and how she was spending it with the Weasel alone. Shaking his head, he thought of how ironic the whole situation was in general.

"Alright," Hermione took his hand, "Let's go,"

* * *

When they got to the common room, they noticed that Harry and Ginny were already in there, having their own alone time. So Hermione looked around to make sure that the coast was clear and then decided to just bring Ron up to the girl's dormitory that way they could have privacy while they talked about things. Throughout the whole night, Hermione just wanted to come clean about everything. She wanted to tell him that she didn't love him and that she didn't want to continue on in their relationship. Also, she wanted to open up to him about having cancer. But it was terrible timing since he apparently had a rough day and on top of it, telling him both things at the same time was going to be heart breaking for him. So Hermione spent the rest of the night listening to his problems that for some reason seemed so miniscule and unimportant. Before he left, he pulled her in close to him and kissed her. Putting his hands around her waist, he pulled her closer—as if it were possible. Hermione finally pulled away and took a deep breath.

"Everyone will be filing in soon," She explained, "You better go,"

"Right," Ron nodded. He gave her another quick kiss before leaving her.

As she sat down in bed, she felt tears rushing to her eyes. She was an awful human being for doing this to him. He was going to be so upset when he found out and she already knew that he wasn't going to let her comfort him after everything was out in the open. Pulling out a picture album that she had made of the trio since their first year at Hogwarts, Hermione began to cry even harder. Just as she put the album away, Ginny walked into the room with a smile on her face. Obviously, she had a good time with Harry that evening. But when she saw the girl, crying on her bed, her smile faded and she rushed to her side. Ginny put her arms around the girl and gave her comforting words.

"What's going on?" Ginny sat down beside her, "Hermione, please just tell me. We can just keep it between us, everything is going to be okay."

"Nothing," She shook her head, "Nothing, I just…finished reading a really sad book."

"Oh," Ginny stood up.

"Yeah, you know The Great Gatsby is heart wrenching," Hermione laughed as she crawled into her bed and turned off her lamp. But Ginny stayed up for a while, looking at the girl. Even she could tell when an honest girl was lying.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione went to her normal classes. She tried to ignore Draco's constant stare whenever Ron moved closer to her. Turning to see Ron, she felt his lips on hers. He gave her a kiss as he shifted backwards. When class was dismissed, Ron pulled Hermione away from everyone else. The two were sitting underneath a small stairwell in the castle.

"Ronald," Hermione gave a small laugh, "What's going on?"

"Hermione, let's just make it official." Ron took her hands, "I think we both feel the same way about each other and…I think it would be ridiculous not to."

"Ron…" She looked up at him with sad eyes. Licking her bottom lip she wondered if she should just tell him now. "Ron, I can't do that."

"Now, I know that you've had reservations and you weren't too sure about it before…but I honestly think that you and I belong together. Come on, Hermione, everyone else knows it." Ron walked closer to her.

"Ron, please just hear me out." Hermione tried, but he over talked her.

"Hermione, you don't have to say anything," Ron explained, "Here, I got this for you." He slipped a ring on her finger. As she looked down at it, she became speechless. "It's just something small I picked up the other day, it reminded me of you."

Before Hermione could respond, he was out of sight. Shaking her head and sighing, she realized that he had done it once again. How was it that she never had any control over her conversations with him? Making her way down the hall, Hermione continued to glance at the ring. Breaking up with him was going to be more difficult than she had thought. When she reached the table in the library, she saw that Susan and Darrel actually showed up again.

"We're just, uh," Susan started as she stood up.

"Go," Hermione kept her eyes on her notebook. Once the two were out of sight, Hermione looked over to Draco with tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" He stood up and walked over to her.

"He gave me this," Hermione showed him the ring on her finger.

"T—take it off," Draco remarked.

"What?" Hermione pulled her hand back.

"Take it off," Draco repeated.

"It was a gift," Hermione began.

"It was from him," Draco started, "That ring is a symbol of his affections towards you, please, take it off."

"Draco, what's gotten into you?" Hermione stared up wildly at the boy.

"I had to watch him all bloody day, Granger! I had to hear him say stupid things to you, I had to watch him hold your hand, hug you, and I had to watch him kiss you! And now—now he gives you a ring that you refuse to take off?" Draco shook his head, "I know that this must be hard on you, but for a second—just for a second, why can't you just see that you're not the only one hurting?!"

"Draco!" Hermione hollered after him, but he was gone within his seconds.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Author's Pre-note: I would just like to thank everyone who has read/reviewed/followed/etc. You guys are absolutely amazing and you guys really keep me going! I would also like to warn you that towards the end of the chapter it is a little bit choppy, but I did this on purpose because I want you (the reader) to be seeing two scenes in your head going on at once. Also, I have done this with my previous stories, but I haven't yet done it with this story in particular but here it goes. I have a song request for this chapter which is _Happy Together_ by Filter. I think it really suits the ending. Alright, well thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Hermione looked down at her ring finger with a slight sigh. She hadn't talked to Draco in three days and she was beginning to think that this time he was gone for good. Looking around the empty room, she bit her lip. Why was it so difficult for her to take off the stupid ring? She'd been telling herself all along that Ron and her weren't meant to be together. But he was right when he said everyone else thought that. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she wondered if maybe everyone else was right and Hermione was wrong. After all, this wouldn't be the first time that that has happened. Looking back down at the red gem on her finger, she stood up from the stone steps and looked out the window at the water.

* * *

Draco stood tall in the mirror of the boy's bathroom. When he heard a small noise, he quickly turned around and saw two boys standing at the entrance. One of them, with red hair went rushing towards him pretty angrily.

"What's your damage?" Draco peered down at the boy.

"Keep away from her, I mean it," Ron started, "If you have something to say, you say it to me, but leave her out of it. If you want to fight, let's fight, but don't throw her down a flight of stairs, you idiot!"

"Throw her down the—you think I would hurt her?" Draco asked in bafflement.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time!" Ron remarked.

"I would never hurt her!" Draco demanded, "I did not do anything!"

"You visited her in the hospital though, didn't you? Why would you do that Draco? Pure guilt? Did it just eat you alive?" Ron moved even closer to him.

"Stay away from me," Draco warned him.

"What do you want from her? Huh? You're only going to hurt her, Malfoy!" Ron hollered, "That's all your kind ever does!"

"Ron, come on, let's just go," Harry tried to pull his friend back.

"No, I will not! If he was visiting Ginny in the hospital at night, would you be so willing to walk away?" He turned back to his friend, "I didn't think so!"

"Listen, the last thing I want to do is hurt her," Draco explained, "But I certainly don't care what you think."

As he brushed past the two boys, Ron reached out and grabbed his arm roughly. Draco glanced over at him but yanked away from his grip aggressively. He was trying as hard as he could to just be calm and civil with the two. But he was getting annoyed quickly and he was reaching his breaking point. Locating the exit with his eyes, he started towards it. He knew that Hermione would be too upset if he did anything to the two, whether or not they deserved it.

"You may be able to fool her, but you can't fool us," Ron spat at him, as Draco continued to walk away, "You coward!"

Turning abruptly, Draco punched Ron in the face. He fell backwards onto the ground. Harry looked across the room to see Draco still standing there. Draco wondered if Harry would try to fight him in defense for his friend, but he soon realized that Harry had common sense. He instead just knelt down to his friend and helped him up to his feet. When the boys looked back across the room, Draco was gone. Ron muttered words under his breath as he tended to his bloody nose.

"He was just lucky this time," Ron stated.

"Yeah…yeah he was." Harry whispered to his friend as he stared at the blood on the floor. Harry may not have been a fan of Draco, but he was good at knowing when someone was lying and when they were telling the truth. It was a talent both him and Ginny had in common. As he watched his friend splash cold water in his face, Harry thought about the idea of Draco and Hermione. Maybe they had been seeing each other secretly or something. If anyone could better Draco Malfoy…it _had_ to be her.

* * *

Hermione was still staring out the window, when her attention was taken to a shadow. Carefully she turned, with her hand tightly gripped on her wand. She was prepared this time just in case Pansy appeared. But to her surprise, it wasn't anyone she should fear. Letting go of her wand, she gave a small smile to the figure. She was honestly, really happy to see him.

"I think we need to talk," He moved into the light.

"I'd like that," She rushed to Harry and threw her arms around him. It had been such a long time since they had talked alone, and she was really looking forward to it. Talking with Harry was easier than Ron and she figured he would take the news better anyway.

"Tell me about him," Harry sat down next to her on some stone steps.

"You know?" Hermione asked.

"Ron overheard some students talking about him visiting you at night. I think he heard it from some girl named Susan. But there were a lot of rumors going around." Harry shrugged.

"Of course," She sighed. She was really going to need to start making sure they were really alone in the library before talking to Draco.

"Draco punched Ron," Harry explained, "Just a few minutes ago in the boy's bathroom."

"What?" Hermione stood to her feet.

"It's fine, he's okay," Harry pulled her down next to him.

"That's not like him, Harry, he really...he must of had a good reason." Hermione began.

"You don't need to defend him." Harry looked down at her, "I understand. Love makes you do crazy things sometimes."

"Yeah...yeah I guess it does. Harry, there's some things I need to tell you," Hermione began, "I don't love Ron…not like that anyway."

"I know," Harry nodded.

"But I care for him, and I'm really confused on where I want to stand with him right now. But I know that I care for Draco in a way that I've never cared about anyone."

"I just don't understand how this all happened; how we didn't know about this." Harry shook his head.

"It just sort of happened," She put her elbows on her knees. "Harry, I have to break it off with Ron."

"This isn't going to be easy, Hermione. He's not going to take it well." Harry turned to her. "But…I promise you I'll stand by your side no matter what."

"Thank you," Hermione hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much," She couldn't help but begin to cry.

Draco had just walked into the top of the stairwell at this time, where he caught this image of the two. His heart stopped for a moment as he noticed the way she was gripped onto him so tightly. He remained quiet as he continued to watch.

"I love you, Hermione," Harry patted her back, "I'll always be here for you."

Draco's body tensed when he heard this. It only got worse for him when he heard her say that she loved him back. He made his way down the hall in a heated manner. When he got to his dormitory, he saw Pansy standing by his bed, with the black rose in her hand. He looked at her for a moment in silence.

"Harry, there's something else I need to tell you," Hermione whispered, "I've been keeping something else from you guys, and this one's…this one's a little harder for me to say."

"You can tell me anything." Harry gave his best friend a reassuring smile.

Pansy walked over to Draco. She showed him the rose and then crumpled it up in her hand. The petals fell to the ground and once it was completely broken apart, she stepped on it. Gazing up at Draco who looked weak, she gave him a smile. There always came a point in time where she had complete control over him. Whenever he was at his worst, whenever he was weak, he always wound up here…with her.

"Okay, well this is…this might take a while to sink in," Hermione warned, "Just, remember that I only kept this from you guys because I was trying to protect you."

"Okay," Harry nodded, preparing himself to hear the news.

Pansy ran her fingers through his blonde hair, as she kissed him roughly. Draco moved forward, toppling over her.

"I didn't have a virus," Hermione started, "I…I have cancer."

Draco kissed Pansy's neck, as she held him close. What was he doing? He didn't love her, he didn't want her. But here he was. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be though. Hermione belonged with someone like Ron, their relationship was expected and well deserved. He belonged with someone like Pansy, because they were corrupt enough for each other. Draco didn't deserve someone like Granger, he deserved someone far less…honest and open. And Granger certainly belonged with someone like the Weasel, after all he was better for her anyway. Draco kissed Pansy again as he closed his eyes. All he could picture was Hermione beneath him.

"You have cancer?" Harry was clearly in shock, "What—what does that mean? I mean, you're going to get better, aren't you? How bad is it? What stage are you at? Hermione, are you doing any chemo therapy?"

"Harry—please, don't make a big deal out of this. I'm going to be fine," Hermione smiled, "I don't want any treatment, it will be alright."

"No, this isn't okay," Harry shook his head, "You've got to have treatment for this. It can't just…Hermione…"

"I'm going to be okay," She smiled at him, "This is why I didn't tell you, I was afraid that you were going to get upset."

"How could I…how could I not be upset?" Harry looked down at his hands, "I mean I'm not mad, I just…I can't believe it."

"Yeah, sometimes I can't either." Hermione admitted, "But that's why I've been in the hospital a lot lately."

Harry sat next to her as he tried to take it all in.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Afraid

Hermione looked down at the ring on her finger and slowly took it off. She had spent the whole morning trying to sort out her feelings for Ron and she finally understood. Deep down, she loved Ron because…well, she always had. But it wasn't the same way she felt for Draco. With Ron, though there was obvious feelings that she felt towards him, there wasn't the passion that she felt when she was with Draco. Even if she couldn't quite put words to her feelings correctly, she knew that her feelings for Draco were far stronger than they had ever been for Ron. So she inhaled deeply as she climbed down from the girl's dormitory.

When she walked into the common room, she saw Ron sitting in front of the fire talking with Harry. She could tell, just by the way he was sitting, that Harry was having a hard time keeping things a secret. Giving him a gentle glance, Hermione neared the two. But the closer she got, the louder her heartbeat got, and the more nervous she began. Feeling short of breath, Hermione walked out of the common room and into the halls of Hogwarts. She couldn't keep wigging out over it, she was going to have to do it at some point. Thinking of Draco, she remembered why she had to do this. Walking back into the room, she sat down next to the two boys. Ron smiled and put his arm around her. Harry was quick to get up and leave the two alone.

"I was thinking we could celebrate tonight," Ron looked over at Hermione.

"Celebrate what?"

"Us," He replied with a smile, "I'm just…so happy, Hermione."

He wasn't going to take any of this easy. It was actually beginning to break her heart at this point. Looking down at her shaking hands, she felt a tear run down her face. Turning towards her, he realized that something was wrong.

"Hermione?"

"Ron, I can't do this anymore." Hermione shook her head, "I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?" Ron looked down on her.

"I've been lying to you and Harry for a while now…and…and it's time that I come clean." She finally lifted her eyes up to meet his.

"It's okay, Hermione," Ron started.

"No Ron! It's not okay! It's certainly not okay! I can't—I don't even know where to start." She put her head in the palms of her hands.

"It can't be that bad, Hermione."

"Ron, just shut up!" Hermione hollered, "Just—just stop! You have absolutely no idea what you've put me through! Every time we talk, every time we have any interaction you're the one who initiates everything! I've been trying to tell you the truth from the beginning! But you wouldn't let me—you—you idiot, this isn't my fault!"

"What the bloody Hell," Ron stood up to his feet, "What is this about?"

"I don't love you!" Hermione got to her feet, "I don't love you, Ron, and I never have!"

"Y—you, what?" He took a step back.

"No—no, please, I didn't mean it," She reached out to him, but he pulled away.

"You didn't mean it? Bloody Hell Hermione, you've lost it!" He shouted at her, "You've really lost it!"

"Don't be mad, I'm sorry, that didn't—that didn't come out right, please, no…please," Tears began running down her face, "This was supposed to be simple, this was supposed to be easy, but it's not."

"Real typical of you," Ron angrily said, "You break up with me, you hurt me, and yet you're the one crying."

"I don't want to hurt you, I didn't want to hurt you—please Ronald! Just listen to me!" She screamed, "Listen to me."

"I'm listening!" Ron shouted, "I'm bloody listening, are you happy?!"

Hermione shut down for a moment. With her hands covering her face she took deep breaths. This wasn't going how she planned in her head, none of this was. She was feeling light headed again and she needed to learn how to control it. But how do you control cancer? Sitting down on the red couch in front of the fireplace, she continued to take deep breaths. There was absolutely no way she could give in to this right now. She had to finish what she started and she had to finish it now. Putting her hands in her lap, she looked up at Ron who was still standing there heatedly.

"I love someone else," She explained, "I really…love him."

"I'm sure you do," Ron shrugged, "But I don't care, Hermione. You're dead to me."

"D—don't say that," She stood up and tried to grab his hand, "Please, say anything but don't say that."

"I never want to see you again. I don't want you to look at me, to talk to me, I want nothing from you, understood?" He demanded.

"No," She shook her head, "That's not what I wanted,"

"Well it's certainly what you got!" He replied.

"You're the one who started this! You're the one who kept pushing! I tried to stop this because I knew this would happen! I knew it would, Ron! So here we are, are you happy? Obviously this is what you wanted!" She hollered. "I can't take this anymore, I can't!"

"You knew this would happen?" Ron exclaimed, "You knew that you were going to fall in love with the enemy?"

"He's not the enemy!" Hermione screamed, "Anyone that you don't like is automatically considered an enemy! You're—you're so pathetic, Ronald!" She started making her way out of the common room.

"Yes, you're right, I'm pathetic. Yet you're the one who's walking out." Ron laughed at her, "Really, Hermione, you're just like him."

"Ron, I can't take this anymore, okay?" She tried explaining in a calm tone.

"I noticed, it's because you're just like him. You're a coward." He boldly stated.

"I'm not a coward," Hermione disagreed, "But I am afraid,"

"Afraid of what?" Ron moved towards her.

"I'm afraid of dying," Hermione answered.

"Just like him." Ron gave her a nasty look.

She only gave him a slight, sad smile. He didn't understand, he couldn't understand. Turning around she took a few steps away, but she could still feel him staring at her back. So she quietly turned back around to look.

"I wanted to die…fighting for someone I love or for something that I believe in. I thought I would die during the end, you know? When Harry and Voldemort finally battle it out…" She stopped for a moment to try to keep herself from crying, "I thought I would die trying to protect you, I thought I would die finding out some important information that I wasn't supposed to know about, I thought I would die…for a cause. But I won't die because of that."

"You won't." Ron shrugged, not giving a single care. "You won't die like that, because you didn't care enough to stick around. Just remember that this was your choice, not ours! You betrayed us, not the other way around!"

Hermione nodded as she bit her bottom lip. She was going to tell him, just then. She was going to explain how she had recently found out they she had cancer. Then she was going to explain the possibilities—how she could live or she could die. There were so many things she wanted to just let him know, things she had been hiding, things she kept inside her for so long. But he did what he was good at, and he was good at over talking her and pushing her away when he was hurt. So she finally decided to just let it be. It wasn't worth all the fighting; her body simply couldn't handle it much longer. Leaving the room, she felt a piece of her break. Though she couldn't determine what in particular had caused it, she knew that she was going to lose control of herself soon.

So she made her way down to the hospital wing, where she slowly put herself into one of the beds. As she closed her eyes and then opened them again, she saw a young girl who had apparently followed her in. It was Luna Lovegood, who's curiosity was boiling at the brim. As she walked up to Hermione, she gave her a strange smile and then brushed her hair out of her face. Calling over one of the nurses, they tended to her care. Luna sat on the other side of Hermione and held her hand like any good friend would do. Maybe they hadn't gotten that close yet, and maybe it did make Hermione feel a little bit uncomfortable, but it was nice to know that even though she felt like everyone else was against her, she still had one person she could count on regardless. After the nurses left, Luna leaned over Hermione and whispered into her ear.

"I'll let him know," Giving her one last sorry look, the odd girl left the hospital wing and went on her way to find Draco who was down at the boathouse.

* * *

"Draco," She made sure that they were alone.

"What do you want?" He turned over to her lazily.

"She's in the hospital," Luna softly said.

That's all it took. Those few little words and his mind was in an uproar. Grabbing his bag, he quickly made his way up the stairs. This time he didn't care who saw, he didn't care who heard. She was in the hospital and he was going to see her whenever he wanted to. There would be no more lurking in shadows or lying and making excuses to people. Even if there were times that he lost himself along the way, it just didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was her and that she was safe.

Reaching her bedside, he dropped his bag down next to her night stand. Her head drifted over to him and when she finally saw him, it was as if her body allowed her to go into a comfortable sleep. She just needed to make sure that she saw him one more time. Every time her body went through this, she always thought it would be her last time. Her body just wasn't doing well with all of the situations going on, she just couldn't handle it. Looking over her carefully, Draco put his hand on hers. It wasn't until he felt comfortable that he made himself look to the other side of the bed, where he found Harry.

"She told him," Harry whispered.

Draco didn't know how to respond to this. So he instead kept his hand locked intertwined with hers and stared down at her. Occasionally, she would almost come to, but then she would slowly slip away again. It killed Draco to see her like this, it really did. But it would kill him even more to not be there for him when she needed him the most.

With her mind almost completely shutting down, she was able to pin point one thing and focus on it. Normally, that's what she tried to do just to eventually bring herself back to normal again. Everything in her was reliving the common room scene with Ron. Thinking over what she said and what she wanted to say, she couldn't help but to feel sad. The worst part about it all was when she was in this condition, she couldn't do anything. Though she felt so upset, she couldn't cry. Though she wanted to speak to someone—really anyone who would listen, her lips wouldn't move. So after a while, she just tried to focus on her heartbeat because after all, that was the only thing that was keeping her alive and that was the only thing her body allowed her to do. But one day…one day it may not…and that's truly what scared her.

Hermione Jean Granger wasn't afraid of dying. She was afraid of dying without a cause, afraid of dying for no good reason, she was afraid of…of dying in vain.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

What Would Granger Do?

"'You're a rotten drive', I protested. 'Either you ought to be more careful, or you oughtn't to drive at all.' 'I am careful.' 'No, you're not.' 'Well, other people are,' she said lightly, 'What's that got to do with it?' 'They'll keep out of my way,' she insisted. 'It takes two to make an accident.' 'Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.' 'I hope I never will,' she answered. 'I hate careless people. That's why I like you.'" Draco read from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Looking down at the young girl who was lying in the hospital bed, he let out a deep breath.

She turned over to her side and carefully opened up her eyes. When she finally saw him, she couldn't help but smile. He put his hand on her cheek and carefully kissed her forehead. He set down her book on the nightstand beside her. She looked over at it to see which classic it was that he found in her dormitory.

"It has a terrible ending," Hermione looked affectionately at Draco.

"Do all the books you read end terribly?" Draco shook his head.

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged with a smile on her face. She reached out her arms and let him help her sit up in the hospital bed. But as she looked around, she didn't recognize the place. Looking over to her hand she saw that there was a needle pouring liquid into her system. Her expression changed quickly as she looked back to Draco. "Where—where are we?"

"Don't be mad, just calm down." Draco stood up.

"Draco…" She looked around at the nurses passing by the room. "You took me to a muggle hospital?"

"I'm sorry, but I was scared. You were really sick and I needed to make sure you would be okay." Draco explained his actions, "The doctor talked to me about some options…"

"You didn't ask me," Hermione pushed her hair back, "Draco, you did this without even confronting me."

"Oh, so I was supposed to just wake you up temporarily to make sure I had permission? Granger, I was just trying to do what was best for you." Draco put his hand on hers. "But listen to me, I talked to the doctor and he told me that as far as your medical treatments go…well, you haven't taken any chemo therapy."

"Yeah," Hermione nodded.

"Why haven't you?" He sat down beside her.

"I don't want to go through that," Hermione shook her head, "You just…you wouldn't understand."

"No, I will understand…just—talk to me."

"Draco there's a really good chance…there's a high risk…I'm probably…I could die." Hermione sat up straight, looking at him.

"You're not going to, I won't let you." Draco put his arm on her.

"Draco, you can't control my cancer. You can't tell it to just go away," She shook her head.

"I realize that Granger, that's why I want you to do chemo therapy." He looked down at her. "Chemo therapy can slow down the cells that are spreading the cancer. It's been known to shrink tumors and…Granger, are you even listening?"

"There are so many side effects," Hermione shook her head, "I love you Draco, but this is my body, not yours."

Draco remained quiet for a few more minutes. She was right and he wasn't going to fight with her—not like this. A nurse came into the room to check on Hermione. Happy to see that she had finally woken up, she helped Hermione out of the bed. When the nurse handed her off to Draco, she gave him a smile.

"She'll be able to leave here within a few days. We'll just need her parent's signatures that it's okay for her to leave since she isn't eighteen yet." The nurse began, "During the last few days you should walk with her a lot around the hospital just so she can regain her strength."

When the nurse left, Hermione's eyes fell on Draco with desperation.

"I haven't told my parents." Hermione carefully tied her hospital gown at the back tightly. "They have no idea…"

"How do they not know?" Draco questioned almost angrily. "Hermione, they're your parents!"

"I found out that I had cancer in the wizarding world, I didn't have to worry about them contacting my parents, Draco…you shouldn't have brought me here." She was having trouble breathing. "I don't know how I can tell them, I don't think I could even begin…oh Draco,"

"I think you should lie back down. I can take you on a walk later." Draco explained. "I think you just need some time to rest. I'll leave you for an hour or so, okay? Just…relax."

Draco went to the desk at the hospital, where he found Hermione's nurse. Giving her a small smile, he leaned over the desk to get a good look at her.

"I was just wondering if you could give me Ms. Granger's house phone number," He explained, "She's feeling really tired and I told her that I would call her parent's for her."

"Um," The nurse stopped for a moment. It was evident that this wasn't information she was really allowed to give out.

"Please," He gave her a look that apparently she couldn't resist. She grabbed a sticky note from her desk and quickly wrote down the number. As a doctor made his way over she quickly handed him the note.

"That's Dr. Jenson's number if you'd like to look him up, he's done excellent work." She turned to look over at what seemed to be her boss.

* * *

Draco picked up the phone number and called it on a payphone outside of the hospital. He had so many thoughts fumbling around in his head. Trying to ease his mind, he thought about missing classes at Hogwarts. Clearing his throat as the phone began to ring, he wondered what her parents sounded like or even what they looked like for that matter. It just occurred to him that he would have to explain who he was to her parents, which made him wonder what he actually was to Hermione. Would she even want her parent's knowing about their relationship anyway? Time had run out as he heard someone pick up the telephone at the other end. He had never used one of these devices before, so it certainly was interesting to him.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Granger?" Draco questioned.

"Yes," She replied, "Who is this?"

"I'm—My name is Draco, I'm a friend of your daughters." He carefully worded his sentences.

"Oh, okay…well, is everything alright?"

"Yes and no." He explained, "Is there any way that you and your husband could meet me down at…" He gave a glance to the sign out front, "Lakeshore hospital?"

"Yes—is Hermione alright?!" She cried out.

"Yes, she's perfectly fine." Draco said in a soothing voice.

* * *

"So just like that? She broke up with you?" Ginny watched her brother pacing back and forth in the common room. Her older twin brothers were the only other one's in the room.

"She just walked out. She betrayed us! She's not coming back either, I won't let her!" He hollered.

"I know you're upset, but maybe if you just try to calm down…"

"Oh, shut up Ginny! What do you know about being in love?" Ron screamed.

"I know quite a bit actually," Ginny remarked, "Probably more than you do!"

"Hey, let's just…let's just all calm down," Fred stood up to his feet.

"Yeah, remember what mum always told us?" George looked to his sister.

"Huh?" Fred moved to his younger brother, "Come on, I know you know."

"No fighting between siblings, you've got the whole world against you, but your siblings are always on your side!" The twins said in unison.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't mean to snap I'm just…I'm really hurt."

"And I know that," Ginny crossed her arms, "I just think you need to be a little more careful with what you say or at least _how_ you say it."

Harry walked into the common room, not knowing that the Weasley family was having a meeting. He felt a bit awkward at first—almost as if he didn't belong. But once he got smiles from the twins, he felt a bit better about his entrance. Ginny gave him a tight hug and then a gentle kiss which gave him confidence. Turning to see his friend, he moved closer to him.

"So…she told you?" Harry wondered.

"Yeah," He nodded, "You know what I told her?"

"What?" Harry nervously looked around the room.

"I told her she could die for all I care!" Ron became a bit loud again.

"Ron!" Harry shouted at him.

"She broke my heart!"

"That still doesn't give you the right!" Harry snapped, "How are you going to feel if she actually does die?!"

"She's not going too—wait, are you actually defending her?" Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm not defending her, I just feel like that's a little harsh considering the situation." Harry shrugged.

"Harsh?" Ron was baffled, "You want to talk about harsh? I don't think she was hurt at all by any of this!"

"I don't understand how you could even say that." Harry began walking away, "You're so self-centered."

"Aren't you supposed to be my best mate?" Ron half laughed, "This is ridiculous, I'm losing both of my friends within days."

"Can you honestly say that you were in the right to say something so strong—so terrible to her given her current condition?" Harry pulled his friend back.

"Her current condition?" Ron was taken aback.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name already; what did you say it was?" Mr. Granger sat down in the hospital waiting room with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"No, it's fine, my name is Draco." Draco turned to see Hermione's mother. Though Hermione took a few characteristics from her father, she was identical to her mother.

"You'll have to forgive us, it's just…we haven't heard about any of her friends except for Harry and Ron." Mrs. Granger took a sip of her drink.

"That's alright," Draco nodded with a smile, "We're actually…new friends."

"Well, that's wonderful," Mrs. Granger laughed, "We always told her to go out there and make new friends…but you know, she never cared for making too many friends."

"It's better to have a few close friends, than a hundred distant ones." Draco noted aloud.

"I like the way you think," Hermione's father looked over to his wife, "I like this one a lot."

"Yes," She nodded, "Now, why is Hermione in the hospital exactly?"

"Well…I have some shocking news to tell the two of you. I don't think that it's really my place to tell you this, but I feel like it's my responsibility because your daughter's having a really rough time." Draco looked between the two who were sitting at the edge of their seats. For a moment, he thought if the roles were reversed, what would Granger do? But the thought quickly seeped away from his mind because if he had cancer, he knew that his parents wouldn't bother showing up to the hospital. They would simply send a big check for funeral arrangements and then show up at the funeral as if they had been there all along for him. Biting his tongue, he envied the girl for having people who actually cared about her.

"Go on, son," Mr. Granger sat down his coffee mug, "You're scaring me."

"She has cancer," Draco softly said.

* * *

"What do you mean by her current condition?" Ron looked around the room.

"I'm sorry—I thought, I thought she told you," Harry explained as he watched his friend. "Ron…Hermione was diagnosed with cancer."

"She was…what?" Ron looked at Harry blankly.

* * *

Mrs. Granger put her hand to her mouth. How could this be happening? Her body was shaking and her lips were trembling. She reminded Draco so much of Hermione with every movement she made. Tears fell down her cheeks as her husband tried to make sense of what the boy had just said.

"W—what? No, that can't be, I'm afraid you have the wrong girl." Mr. Granger stood to his feet.

"Well sir," Draco looked at him, "Why don't we go to her hospital room and maybe she can explain this to you better than I can."

Her parents followed him to the elevator and said nothing to one another as they stepped out on the third floor. When they reached Hermione's hospital room, they found her sitting up in the windowsill. Turning to see her company, her mouth dropped slightly and her eyes widened. Looking over directly to Draco, she wasn't sure how to react. However, she had to say that it wasn't as if it really took her by surprise. This was something that Draco would do. He would go out of his way to try to help her, to try to make everything easier on her, even if that meant going against her wishes. But it was just something that she was going to have to get used to. Hermione never knew someone who cared about her this much...not until now.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Together

When the sun began to disappear, her parent's had to leave the hospital to get ready for work the next day. Mrs. Granger bent down and hugged her daughter. She gave her a soft kiss on her cheek and couldn't help but to shed a few tears. Hermione reached out to her mother's hand and tried to give her a comforting look. Her father walked over to her other side and kissed his daughter on her forehead. He gave her a tight hug and then reminded her that he would always love her. Her father took her mother by the hand and they followed Draco who led them out to the hallway.

"Thank you, Draco," Her mother gave the boy a strong handshake but ended up pulling him in close, "If my daughter thinks you're a good person, then so do I."

"Well…thank you, Mrs. Granger," Draco smiled as he then shook Hermione's father's hand.

"Yes, it was nice to meet you." Her father added.

After her parents had left, Draco walked back into the hospital room and sat down next to her. They stared at each other for a few moments in complete silence. He was expecting her to go off on him, but she didn't. Instead, she just held his hand and sat there in silence. As night came around, she drifted off to sleep and Draco fell asleep in the chair beside her. Their hands were still interlocked by morning, when a nurse woke them up.

* * *

Ron looked down at the water beneath the bridge. How had he gotten himself here? He always opened his big mouth and never thought before he spoke. Rethinking their conversation, he remembered all of the terrible things that he had said to her. There was a pounding at the back of his head. He needed to speak with her as soon as possible. He continued to play the scene over in his head as he went to the dormitory. Packing a few clothes in his suitcase, Harry walked into the room.

"Ron…" Harry looked at his friend, "Ron, what are you doing?"

"I have to go find her, okay? I will call every bloody hospital until I find her!" He shouted.

"Ron, I know which hospital she's at…I just don't think that this is a good time for you to visit her. Please, just give her some time, alright? She honestly…she can't deal with too much stress okay? Just promise me you'll wait." Harry tried.

"Wait?" He couldn't control his emotions anymore, "You want me to wait?! She could die! She could die hating me!"

"She doesn't hate you," Harry stated, "She understands that this isn't easy on you."

"I'm going," Ron demanded, "You can't stop me,"

He threw a few more shirts into his suitcase hastily. Harry tried pulling the suitcase away from him, but Ron's grip was too tight. So instead, Harry reached within the suitcase and began pulling out any and all items he could get his hand on. Ron became even more angry by this but said nothing. He just went on packing and placing items in the suitcase to replace the ones that Harry had taken out. Eventually getting fed up with this, Ron took the wooden suitcase in his hands and threw it to the wall on the other side of the room. He gave out a loud scream as he fell down to the ground with his back against the bottom board of his bed. Harry watched his friend slowly breaking in front of him and he knew that there was nothing he could do to fix it.

"Why?!" Ron screamed, "Why?! Why did she tell you first? How long have you been fucking keeping this a secret from me?!"

"Ron…I only knew a little bit before you. She wanted me to know ahead of time so I could help you." Harry watched the boy with his head in his hands. "Ron, she's going to be okay. In a few weeks you'll be able to talk to her and it will all be fine."

"No!" He screamed, "No…" And then slowly his angry yells turned into a long, depressing cry. As he gripped onto his hair, he tried to stop crying but he just couldn't. He felt like he wasn't in control over himself anymore. He couldn't even stand himself. All he wanted to do was go to Hermione and apologize and try to work things out…but Harry wouldn't let him. Why wouldn't his best friend just help him?

"She's going to be alright," Harry sat down next to his friend, "I promise you, she will. Draco took her to a really nice hospital."

Ron lifted his head and turned to see Harry who was sitting beside him calmly.

"He—he took her?" Ron softly asked. When Harry nodded, Ron stood up and began shouting again. He threw other objects around the room and threw probably the biggest temper tantrum that Harry had ever seen. But he just sat there with his friend because he couldn't blame him for being angry. Plus, he wanted to make sure that Ron didn't hurt himself in his angry rage. It killed Harry to force Ron to stay, but he knew that it was best for Hermione's health. She needed to focus on herself right now.

* * *

"Does it bother you?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

"Huh?" He looked back at her, confused by her question.

"My parents…do they bother that they aren't...magical?"

"No," He shook his head as he gripped onto her hand tighter. "It doesn't bother me at all, Hermione."

"Draco…if you don't plan on sticking around…and I mean it, really Draco…if you don't plan on being with me until the end, I want you to leave now, okay?" Hermione fumbled over her words.

"Until the end?" Draco laughed, "Granger, when we die, we're going to be old and we're going to have lived good lives…_together_."

"You don't know that…" Hermione shook her head.

"Well, you don't know either." He said, "I wish you would get this insane idea out of your head that I'm just going to get up and leave you. I'm not leaving you, Granger, okay? I'm not going to leave you. How many different ways do I have to tell you that? Damn, Granger…you're impossible!"

"I'm sorry," She replied meekly.

"No…I'm sorry," He decided to change the subject, "When they release you from the hospital, they're going to want you to stay at home for a while. So I'll start going back to my classes and I'll bring you all of your homework. I'll visit you every day, okay?"

"I don't want you to have to do that. You shouldn't have to do that. Please, don't come see me every day, that's…that's unnecessary." She shook her head.

"Shut up," He told her playfully as he ran his fingers through her untamed hair like he always did.

* * *

Draco returned back to school shortly after they got Hermione back to her house. As he walked the halls, he thought about how Hermione's dad had pulled him aside. He gave him a key the house since both of her parents worked during the day, that way if Hermione ever needed anything, at least Draco could be there for her. Draco saw this as an act of trust which he greatly appreciated. Turning the corner, Draco caught sight of Ron who was staring at his hands in the hallway.

To be honest, Draco didn't want to talk to him. He never wanted to really look at him again, not after Hermione took a few moments to explain what had happened between the two one of the nights when she was in the hospital. But as he got closer to passing him, he noticed that he was really depressed and that this wasn't his normal sulk. So maybe it was more so out of pity than anything else, but Draco walked in front of Ron and then stopped to observe his actions.

"She's alright," Draco said in a low tone, "She just needs some time, okay?"

Ron looked up at the boy with a blank expression. It was bad enough he had to see the guy, but why did he have to talk to him? Why couldn't he just leave him alone? So he sat there for a few more moments, just looking up at Draco who was still confidently standing there. A mix of emotions rushed through Ron and he didn't know where to start or what to say. A few more seconds past and the same emotions ran through his body again. All of a sudden, it was as if he had no control again.

Standing to his feet, Ron punched Draco, who only stumbled backwards. Draco shook his head as he walked over to Ron and punched him back. It was only a matter of minutes before both boys were on the ground fighting. Draco gave Ron another bloody nose, and Ron gave Draco a bloody lip. No matter how bad Ron was feeling, he just couldn't stop. He didn't even care if he lost at this point and got his ass kicked because—well let's face it, Draco was stronger. All he cared about was feeling something—feeling anything that wasn't numbness. So regardless of the stupidity of the fight, regardless of the pointlessness of it all, he continued to stand back up every time he was knocked down.

"Don't be stupid," Draco said, "I don't want to hurt you,"

"You already have," Ron screamed.

They were now causing quite a scene as a crowd began to form around them. Luna and Harry quickly moved into the scene. Harry pulled Draco away from Ron and tried to explain to him that it really wasn't worth it. When Luna went to pull Ron back, he yanked away from her and started towards Draco again. Luna grabbed him by his arm and with all her strength, she pulled him backwards. Forgetting for a moment that it was Luna trying to stop him, he grabbed her and pushed her back up against a glass mirror in the hallway. She broke the mirror behind her and then she fell down. Ron had to do a double take to realize what he had just done. Looking down at Luna's blood that was dripping down her forehead, Ron went to reach out for her. But Draco was the one who helped her off of the ground. Giving Ron a stern glance, he walked the girl to the hospital wing where he made sure that she was bandaged up.

"It was just a few scratches, I could have walked myself," Luna remarked.

"I know, but…I wanted to," Draco stood up, "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes," Luna smiled.

* * *

A few weeks had passed and Draco had decided that he wasn't going to tell Hermione about what went on at school. He figured it would only bother her and make her worry. Draco went back to Hermione's house that evening after class and found that Hermione's door was shut and locked. He knocked on the door, but Hermione didn't answer. Leaning his head up against the door, he could hear Hermione sobbing. Calling out her name, he looked down at the key in his hand. After a few moments of thinking, he couldn't help but to think that maybe it was one of those master keys that opened every door that locked in the house. Draco decided to give it a shot since obviously Hermione wasn't going to open up for him to come in. Thankfully, it worked.

He walked into her bedroom where he found an empty bed. Turning to the end of the room, he saw another door shut that led to her bathroom. Cautiously, he walked towards it, still trying to listen to the girl who was crying. Placing his hand on the knob, he carefully opened the door to find her sitting on the ground next to the sink. She had buried her head into her knees and refused to look up at him. Trying to cover herself up more, since she was only in a towel, she began crying even harder.

"Stay away!" She screamed, "Don't come any closer! Please, just—just leave!"

"Granger, what's going on," He got to his knees in front of her.

"Just go!" She looked up at him with tears still in her eyes.

"What's going on?" He wiped a tear falling from her eyes and forced her to really look at him. She tried to catch her breath as he put his hands on her.

"Please, please…" She cried, "Don't look at me, please,"

"Granger," Draco pulled her in for a tight hug. Though he was confused about what was going on, he knew that this was one of her worst meltdowns she ever had in front of him. As he tried to comfort her, he brushed his hand through her hair. After one stroke, he looked down into his hand to find that Hermione's hair was falling out. When looked over to the sink above her, he saw that she had a clump of hair just sitting on the edge of it. Pulling her tighter, he whispered, "I love you, it's going to be okay,"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Over

"She's looking better," Mr. Granger stood in the kitchen, looking at Draco.

"Yeah," Draco nodded thinking back about a week ago when he came in to find her crying in her bathroom.

"I'm not talking about the cancer," Mr. Granger took out a water bottle from the fridge and turned to get a good look at the boy. "I may be old, but I'm not stupid."

"Certainly not," Draco shook his head and cleared his throat.

"She's happier when you're around, Draco." He paused, "I assume you two are…"

"Together," Draco finished his sentence.

"You told us when we first met that you were a new friend." Mr. Granger took a drink.

"Yes, well that's not entirely a lie," Draco replied, "I didn't want to tell you that we were together until I knew she was okay with me being the one to tell the two of you. To be honest, sir, I wasn't sure if we really were."

"Well, I respect the fact that you respect her," Mr. Granger walked down the hall and went to his room.

Draco made his way back to Hermione's room where he saw her packing her bag to go back to school. He was glad that she was doing better, but he knew that she was going to go through a lot going back. His biggest fear was how Ron was going to handle the whole situation. He picked up a sock that she had dropped on the floor and put it in the suitcase. Turning over to see her, he gave her a gentle smile. She had cut her hair recently in a pixie cut style to maintain it better. Standing up on her tip toes, she gave him a kiss.

* * *

"Luna, I'm sorry," Ron stopped her in the hallway.

"It's fine," She shook her head, "You were really upset, I shouldn't have—"

"No, this is my fault, not yours," He said, "If there is any way I can make it up to you…"

"If you could stop apologizing, that would be great." Luna paused, "You don't have to explain anything to me, okay? I would just like to move on and pretend it didn't happen."

"I can't do that," Ron moved closer to her.

"Please," Luna stopped him from getting closer, "Just—just give me time or…something,"

Ron watched the girl walk away from him. He leaned up against the stone wall and tried to calm himself down. He hated what he was becoming and it was evident that everyone else hated it too. Looking down the hall, he saw Draco and Hermione walking with their fingers interlocked. Practically running to her, he dropped his bag on the ground. When he got to her, he put his arms around her and almost pushed her to the ground with the force of this action. Letting her go, he kept his closeness to her and looked at her sincerely.

"Your hair…" He whispered as he looked at her more closely, "Hermione, it…it looks good." He caught himself from falling into another hole. "Hermione, do you think that we could talk? It would only take a moment there's just a few things I need to discuss with you."

"I'd love to talk to you," Hermione answered, "But I have a lot to do today since it's my first day back and I'm not really going to have time. But once things settle down and I get myself on a schedule, I'll come talk to you, okay?"

Ron didn't know what to say to this, so he didn't say anything at all. He felt angry that he had to keep waiting, he hated the way he was being treated. Maybe he did over step in their relationship, maybe he took charge and demanded everything, but hadn't he had enough? Keeping his cool and simply stepping out of their way, he gave out a small sigh. How was it that Draco Malfoy, the most irresponsible student in the whole world was holding Hermione Granger's hand, the brightest witch that the school had ever seen? Ron bit his bottom lip harshly as he looked down the hall to see Harry rushing towards him. But when he saw that Draco and Hermione had already passed by, he slowed down his pace and caught his breath. It was evident that he hadn't made it over to Ron quick enough.

"I take it you talked?"

"She's too busy for me," Ron picked up his bag, "Well, that's just fine, because I'm too busy for her too."

Harry felt Ron brush past him angrily.

* * *

When they strolled into their first hour, Draco made sure that Hermione sat next to him. Theo and Blaise sat on the other side of Draco. They were the only two Slytherin's that were okay with Hermione shifting to their side of the room. Hermione caught Pansy's glance quite a few times and it threw her off guard. Moving closer to Draco, she tried to keep her head down. She didn't like all of the attention she was getting, but she had expected as much for her first day back. Hermione had been gone for quite a while which was highly unusual, she cut her hair really short and on top of it, she was practically sitting in Draco's lap through every class. She couldn't help how clingy she looked sitting so closely next to him though; she only found comfort in him anymore.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Draco took her by the hand after class ended.

"What?" She looked at him with a fake smile.

"You've been acting…_different_ all day. Is everything alright?" He led her out into the hallway.

"Um, everyone just kept looking at me. People were talking about me—I heard them whispering and some were passing notes…and Pansy kept giving me these death glares…" She paused as she tried to control her emotions. She didn't need to cry on her first day back to school.

"It will get better," Draco said, "It was just the first day back."

Hermione nodded as they went and sat down in study hall. Susan and Darrel went to speak, but Draco gave them a look which warned them to keep their mouths shut. So instead they just dismissed themselves and left the two alone. Draco pulled out his drawing pad that he used to draw in whenever he had study hall. Hermione saw him open up to the page with the sketch of the woman on it. This time she stood up next to him and looked down at it. The longer she looked at it, the more she was able to catch on to who he had been drawing.

"Is that…me?" She questioned.

"It's a mixture of you…" He began, "And a mixture of what I thought Juliet would look like."

"Juliet? From…Romeo and Juliet?" She laughed slightly.

"Yeah, it's stupid," He put his sketchbook away.

"No, not it's not…it's just…I didn't get it before." Hermione looked at him, "But now I do."

The two stared at each other for a quick moment. Draco moved closer to Hermione and leaned upward to kiss her, but before he could do anything, someone interrupted them.

"Draco," A man demanded from the doorway.

Hermione and Draco both turned to see the man dressed in black at the entrance. Feeling a bit light headed, Hermione put her hand on the table to support herself. Draco quickly stood up and made sure she was alright. Giving him a slight nod, she looked back towards the door where she found Lucius Malfoy standing with his cane propped up against the wall. She noted how he kept his gaze on his son and wouldn't allow himself to look at her.

When the end of the hour came around, Draco still wasn't back yet. So Hermione just headed off to her next class, but he didn't show up there either. After last hour, she decided to go searching for him. But he wasn't anywhere to be found. Deciding to head back up to her dorm, she saw someone from the corner of her eye. Looking back, she saw the figure moving closer to her at a fast pace.

"Pansy, I don't want any trouble, okay?" Hermione started off, "I don't want to fight with you anymore, I'm sick of this. I physically can not deal with you."

"Yeah, I heard about your cancer." She crossed her arms, "I'd say I'm sorry to hear about it, but I'm not."

"Great, well hope I don't see you around," Hermione went to walk away, but the girl grabbed her harshly.

"Pansy—"

"Just listen to me, mudblood, and I won't hurt you." Pansy warned as she looked up and down the halls. "I don't know why he's continuing to pursue you, but he obviously is. So I wanted to tell you that you can have him and that's fine, because…well Draco and I sort of have a deal set up."

"A deal?" Hermione crossed her arms and cleared her throat quietly.

"Yes," She nodded, "Before you left to go to the hospital…the day before actually, Draco paid me a special visit. We decided that if something happens to you, you know, with your cancer and all…I'd take over your role. And for the time being, while you're in such…terrible health condition, we agreed that he could stay with you during the day, as long as he returns to me at night."

"You're delusional," Hermione shook her head, "Draco would never do that. I don't believe you."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that your relationship has my blessing as long as my relationship with him has yours." Pansy stood confidently before the girl.

"Well, I would bless you and your relationship, but I'm afraid you can't bless the devil." Hermione turned away from her sharply and headed up to her dormitory.

* * *

Hermione sat down on her bed and looked at her hands which were beginning to shake. Getting up and trying to clear her mind, she went through her homework to make sure she had completed everything. Looking across the room, she noticed that she was still alone. Opening the drawer in her nightstand she realized that she had kept the white rose that Draco had given to her in there this whole time. Holding it in her hand tightly, she noticed how the ends were frayed and how brown the rose had become. Though she could remember how beautifully white and innocent the flower once was, it was now turning dark and cold. The door opened abruptly and it made Hermione jump ten feet in the air.

"Granger," Draco was out of breath, "I was looking everywhere for you,"

"You don't need to watch over me all the time." She snapped.

"Okay…" He said, pretty confused.

"What did your father say?" She sat back down on her bed, quickly putting the flower behind her pillow so he didn't see it.

"He apparently found out about my absences and came to talk to me about the Malfoy reputation, it's nothing new. But it doesn't matter," Draco shrugged. "So anyway, have you thought about what we talked about last night?"

"Yeah," Hermione answered, "Listen, I didn't…I didn't tell you this before and I guess I should have, but um...I've been going through chemo therapy, because…well, that's what you wanted."

"Really?" He smiled, "Granger, you don't have to do that because of me, I just…I want you to want to do it yourself, not because I made you."

"It's not that big of a deal," Hermione said in an irritated way.

"Have you eaten dinner?" He moved closer to her.

"Yeah, I had some crackers or something," She bit her bottom lip.

"Did you take your medicine?" He noticed her frigid movements.

"Draco…" Hermione started.

"I know, I know," He laughed, "I just…I'm worried okay, I really am worried. Can you blame me though? It's your first day back and my damn father just walks in here like some big shot or something…"

"Draco," Hermione repeated herself.

"But everything is going to be okay, I know it will be, Granger…" His voice trailed off.

"Did you sleep with her?" Her gaze shot up to his.

"What?" He took a step away from her.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"What are you talking about?" Draco's expression changed completely.

"Pansy; did you or did you not sleep with her?" Hermione stood from her bed.

"I slept with her multiple times, it wasn't like it was a secret. But that was before anything ever happened between us…" Draco started and then he stopped. In his mind he immediately had flashbacks of when he saw Hermione sitting with Harry. He had just assumed that night that there was something going on between them. When he was with Pansy that night it was out of pure anger, out of pure frustration and it didn't even matter to him. That was why he hadn't brought it up to her. He felt nothing for Parkinson, so he didn't really think that that counted.

"You slept with her the night before you took me to Lakeshore hospital, didn't you?" Hermione took a deep breath.

"Granger," He shook his head, "You don't understand, I was heading down the stairwell, and I saw you and Harry. He told you that he loved you and you said it back. I saw the way you held onto him, Granger. I just…I thought that you were having a thing with him too."

"We love each other because we're best friends, Draco! Nothing more than that." Hermione shouted.

"I didn't know, okay?! You were with Ron, you weren't with Ron, you were with me, you weren't, I didn't know what to think! I was mad, I was frustrated and she was there!" He defended himself.

"That's typical, Draco!" She cried, "Did you make an agreement with her too?"

"An agreement?" Draco moved closer to her, "Listen, if Pansy told you some ridiculous rumor, then let it die because I would never do anything to hurt you."

"You know, you keep saying that, but you keep hurting me!"

"And you keep hurting me!" Draco responded.

"We keep hurting each other. So maybe it's just time to end this." Hermione rubbed her forehead. "I think we both knew that this was going to happen some way or another. It was only a matter of time before things got back to normal and we realized how different we truly are. We just needed to be reminded of that again, I guess."

"You're really willing to just throw everything we've been through away?" Draco looked her in the eye.

"That night, you threw me away." She pointed out.

"We were in love when you and Ron were still dating, Granger! At least I had the decency to do it behind closed doors and not in bloody front of you!" He sighed.

"I was not in love with you!" She turned away from him, "I was not in love with you…"

"Well are you in love with me now?" Draco asked in an almost hopeful voice. But Hermione kept her gaze on the window and refused to say anything more to him. So he left since that's obviously what she wanted. Walking down the hall he played the day's events over in his head. How had this all just fallen apart? In the morning they were completely fine and here they were now, just…over.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

What She Can Give You

Author's Pre-note: Just a quick thank you to everyone who has been reading my story! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing this! All comments are welcomed! Thanks again!

* * *

"McGonagall told me about your absences." Lucius told his son.

"Yeah, I missed a few days." Draco answered his father in an uninterested tone.

"She told me you were in the hospital visiting that mudblood you were in the library with." His father looked at Draco disapprovingly.

"She has a name," Draco crossed his arms.

"You will stay away from her. You need to carry on the Malfoy name along with all of the family values and beliefs. I will not have any mixed blood in my family, Draco." His father kept his shoulders straight, "Your mother has agreed with me on this and so I'm here to pass the news along. You have two choices, Draco."

"Oh boy, I love when you let me choose," Draco sarcastically said.

"We have talked to the Parkinson's family and if you agree to marry her as soon as the two of you graduate…we will continue to support you."

"And if I don't agree to marry her?"

"Then this is it. I will no longer pay for anything, you are not allowed back at the house…and you will be disowned from the family. I know that you have my blood in you so I know that you are stubborn. But you also have a good head on your shoulder, so I'm sure that you will make the right decision, Draco." Lucius grabbed his cane.

"I already have my answer," Draco began.

"Don't bother," Lucius walked out of the room, "Sleep on it a few nights. I need to know by the end of this week."

* * *

Draco had woken up from this dream. Ever since the visit from his father, he had been dreaming about it like crazy. It didn't help that him and Hermione really weren't in a good place right now. Sitting up from his bed, he made his way down to the library where he found himself alone. Sitting down at the table, he took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to make his decision; he didn't know what to do. If he just knew that him and Hermione could pull through, he would reject his father in a heartbeat. But if they weren't able to work everything out, he didn't want to be on his own. Standing up from the chair, he heard a noise. Draco turned to the entrance to see that Pansy was now in the room.

"I take it the mudblood told you about our little talk." Pansy smiled as she walked closer to him.

"You really are low," Draco stared at her.

"Maybe I am, but that doesn't keep you away, does it?" She laughed, "How does it feel to know that she doesn't trust you? You took her to the hospital, you brought all of her things from school to her, you were there the whole way. But she still doesn't give you the benefit of the doubt, does she?"

"You don't know anything about our relationship,"

"Yet I know your girlfriend trusts me, her own enemy, more than she trusts her own boyfriend." Pansy gave another evil smile, "But it's okay, because from the looks of it, the two of you aren't really together anymore…which means that everything can be right with the world again."

"Pansy I don't want anything to do with you," Draco roughly replied.

"Even if it means all of your inheritance money? Huh? Even if it means having a home to go to or a father who can just pull strings at school for you?" Pansy brushed up against him, "That's what I thought, you're conflicted. But don't worry, by the end of this week, you'll know."

"You knew that he was going to do this all along, didn't you?" Draco gave her a look of disgust.

"The first day I saw you talking to that mudblood like she wasn't a piece of shit, I told your father. Every single step of the way, he knew. You have a choice to make, Draco and I sure do hope you think with your brain and not your foolish, little heart." She looked at him darkly and then made her famous, dramatic exit.

* * *

"I'm sick!" Hermione yelled at the door to her dormitory.

"Hermione, let me in," Luna knocked once more. Obeying the girl's wish, Hermione got to her feet and opened up the door.

"Sorry—I thought…I thought you were someone else." She explained as she sat back down on her bed.

"What's going on? You don't look sick," Luna suggested and then stopped, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that last part through."

"No, it's fine. I have cancer, it's not that big of a deal," Hermione gave the girl a reassuring smile. "We don't have to tip-toe around that. Luna…Luna what happened to your hand?"

"Oh, it's nothing," She shrugged.

"No, don't lie to me," Hermione looked at the girl's bandage closely, "Did someone hurt you?"

"While you were gone…Ron and Draco got into a fight. Harry went to pull Draco away from the fight and I went to pull away Ron. He just…he lost his temper, you know? It's not like he really knew what he was doing, but when I tried to get him to just walk away, he pushed me into a mirror." Luna finally answered.

"Are you alright?" Hermione hugged the girl, "I'm—I'm so sorry, I feel like I'm to blame for all of this. Everything that's been going on right now is my fault."

"No, it's just…everything's been going on and…it's not your fault." Luna softly replied.

"Draco and I broke up," Hermione looked down at the floor.

"What?" Luna cried, "No, no, that's not…what happened?"

"He slept with Pansy while we were together." Hermione wiped her eyes.

"If I ask you a question, will you get mad?"

"No," Hermione shook her head.

"When he slept with her…were you still…technically with Ron?" Luna and Hermione stared at each other for a few moments. Hermione slowly nodded her head, realizing what she was saying, "Not that…it made his actions right, but…you were still kissing and hanging on Ron."

"But it was different…I was upfront about it, Draco knew about it. And it was just a matter of time before we broke it off. I told him that," Hermione began, "And he slept with her, I never slept with Ron, I never…I've never done that before. That's important to me, Luna, and to him it's just…ugh," She had to wipe her eyes again as she got a bit more emotional.

"I'm not saying that he was right for doing what he did but…"

"But you think I overreacted?" Hermione wiped her eyes.

"Yeah," Luna replied.

"I should talk to him," Hermione stood up, "Thanks for the talk,"

"He's probably in class right now, though, like we should be…" Luna laughed. "How about…I'll go back to class, I'll let him know that you want to talk to him, and then you can get all dressed and ready. You could make a date out of it."

"Alright," Hermione nodded, "I like that idea. Luna, thank you for always being there for me when I need you…"

"Not a problem," Luna went to walk out the door.

* * *

"Granger," Draco walked out of his class to see her waiting for him. "Granger, you look beautiful,"

She was wearing a blue sundress with a cardigan to go with it. Hermione had also went out of her way to style her hair and do her makeup. Moving closer to her, he bent downward and kissed her. Though she was shocked by this action, she didn't push him away. Instead she welcomed his kind gesture and then hugged him afterwards. Part of her was really scared that this time he would leave for good. She knew that she really needed to stop pushing him away because she honestly feared the day that he wouldn't come back. They made their way outside and to the dock at the boathouse so they could just spend some time alone. Hermione dipped her legs into the chilly water as she looked over to Draco who was sitting beside her.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, I was way out of line; we weren't really a thing then…and I was being such a hypocrite, please don't leave me." Hermione felt the tears coming.

"Don't cry," Draco hugged her again, "I'm not going anywhere. I told you that from day one."

"I know…but, I don't want anything to happen to us where you go off and we're angry. I don't want any bad feelings between us no matter what happens and I just…I really care about you. And I only get so frustrated and upset with you because I do care about you so much. And I know you've been worried about me, but I'm more worried about you than anything, and I just want you to know that I am going to get like this sometimes. I'm going to get stupid and immature, and I can't help it, I really can't, so I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for everything that's ever happened and I'm sorry in advance for the future and I just can't…I can't possibly imagine life without…" Hermione was completely out of breath as she watched Draco who's eyes grew wide.

"Granger, Granger," He chuckled, "Calm down, breathe." He had to remind her, "I'm here, okay? Everything is going to be alright. Stop worrying about every little thing."

"I'll try, but I just want you to understand that I only said what I did because I was hurt and fired up. Pansy does that to me, you know? She just gets me so worked up and I can't just let it go, I don't know why but I can't. And I promise, I'm going to work on it, I'm going to try. But you have to, please Draco, you have to understand that I have issues with her because a part of me has always felt that I will never amount to as much as she can." Hermione continued to talk a hundred miles a minute.

"What?" Draco interrupted her, "You amount to so much more than she ever could, Granger."

"I just…I don't know. I don't have all of the things she has," Hermione explained, "I'm not as beautiful as she is. I don't have wealth or a high status in society. I'm just plain Jane and she's…well, she's Pansy. I'm a nobody, Draco. And she's talented, she is wildly talented in the Dark Arts, and she has connections to people that I have absolutely no connection to, and she's a Slytherin and she's convenient, and you wouldn't have to fight for her, or worry about losing her to some stupid cancer, and she would never tell you no, and I—I'm afraid of…oh, Draco." She put her head in her hands. "I'm so afraid that I can't give you…what she can give you."

"Granger—"

"And I'm afraid that you'll stay with me now, but someday down the road you're going to look back and wish that you would have chosen her." She whispered.

"No, no,"

"And I'm not afraid of that because I'll be heartbroken that you'll leave me, I'm afraid that I'll be heartbroken and guilty because all of that time I had someone who didn't belong to me. And that's not fair to you. If she's your soulmate, if she's who you're supposed to be with, then please, just go. I don't want to take you away from that, Draco. I'd never want to do that." Hermione watched him as the sun fell as the stars began to show.

"Don't you get it, Granger? That right there—what you just said, that just proves it." Draco laughed.

"Proves what?"

"You care more about others than you care about yourself. That proves that you amount to far more than Pansy ever will." He smiled at her.

"You always say things like that," Hermione paused for a moment, "You always say things that seem to fix everything—even if it's only for a moment." He gave her a soft kiss. When she pulled back away from him, she felt something that she had never felt before. "Draco," She got his attention again, "I love you."

"What?" He almost didn't believe that she actually said it—and meant it.

"I love you," She repeated herself, "I kept pushing off telling you that because…because I wasn't sure if that's how I felt, but it is, I'm certain of it. I love you, Draco."

"I love you too, Granger."

He towered over her and kissed her. She put her hands around his waist and kept him close. His hands were on her jaw as though to remind her that he was in control of every movement made. Though many girls would probably say it was a rude move because it meant that he wanted to be the dominant one in the relationship, it actually comforted Hermione because she knew that Draco was different. She knew that this gesture simply meant that he was in control and he wouldn't let anything hurt her.

Hermione pulled away from the kiss and gave him a soft look. Taking his hand, the two went back into the castle. It was getting too cold to be outside anyway. Draco led Hermione into the Slytherin dormitory where they could be alone. He put his right hand on his neck and his left around her waist. Pulling her even closer, he gave a small laugh in between kisses. This was exactly what he wanted; this is exactly what he needed—what he always needed. She was always the missing piece in his life. Hermione kissed his neck for a few moments as he tried to clearly think. Towering over her now, he playfully pushed her down onto his bed. She stared up at him, with a smile on her face. They kissed each other for a moment longer until suddenly an image of Pansy popped into Hermione's mind.

"D—Draco, stop," Hermione put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, I can't do this…I can't do this, not here—she's been here." Hermione shook her head, "I should probably…I should go."

"Right," He cleared his throat as he stood up and walked her out of the dormitory and common room. Leaning over her in the hallway, he gave her a goodnight kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow,"

"See you,"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Selfish

Hermione bit her lip softly as she made her way down the dormitory and into the common room. She saw from the corner of her eye, two red heads that were exiting. Turning over to the fire, she found Ron who was standing in front of the fire. Her heart dropped as she noticed they were now alone. But she knew she had to do this, it shouldn't have really been a surprise. Taking a step closer to him, she wondered if it was the right time. She tried to think of a proper way to start the conversation. Hermione honestly wanted it to be as painless as possible. Hearing her footsteps, Ron glanced over in her direction and immediately went to leave the room.

"Ron—wait!" She reached out and took him by the arm, "It's time that we talk."

"Sure you're not too busy?" He snapped.

"Okay, I should have expected that one. I had it coming…" She paused, "But seriously, Ron…can you just sit down and let me explain everything to you?"

"There's no explanation for what you've done to me." Ron stared at her as though he was waiting for her to fight for this conversation.

"Okay," She nodded, "I agree, there isn't a good one, but there is one and I'd really like it if you'd just give me a chance to explain it to you. I think it would help you better understand where I'm coming from, Ron. I don't want to lose you…"

"You've already done that," Ron quickly replied. "I want absolutely nothing to do with you, is that clear?"

"That's not true." Hermione shouted, "That's a bloody lie and you know it."

"The only lie is you, 'mione. I mean, you're still trying to pretend like everything can just be okay between us." He laughed, "That's never going to happen."

"You have no idea, Ronald! You won't even hear me out on what I have to say!" She shook her head, "Things could get better…you just won't give it a chance."

"We don't live in a fairytale, Hermione! There is no happy ever after!" He screamed at her.

"Please, Ron—" She began.

"I don't want to hear it, I'm done talking with you, I'm done with all of this, got it? I'm done with you! I've been done with you since the day you started becoming friends with that idiot. I mean really, what a bloody, disgusting monster!"

"He's not a monster!" Hermione hollered at him.

"I wasn't talking about him." Ron suddenly said in a calm manner.

Hermione's gaze shifted up towards him and she fell completely silent. That one hurt, and it hurt bad. She felt tears coming to her eyes, but she didn't want to let him know that he had wounded her. This was what he wanted. He wanted to get her all emotional, to get her all upset and angry just so he could get revenge. So she wasn't going to break down in front of him, not this time. He would only be satisfied if he saw the look in her eyes. Instead, she took a minute to collect her thoughts that were slowly slipping away and then took a deep breath.

"We're all monsters," She whispered, "One way or another…even you."

Ron simply smiled at her as if he wasn't amazed but more so as if he was expecting her to come back with something witty and all she had was that. Pulling himself away from the conversation and making his way up to the boy's dormitory, he took a few glances at his fists. His anger was rising and he was getting heated. Part of him wanted to go back down to the common room and just go off on Hermione. But it wasn't the right time, he couldn't do it, not yet anyway. Reaching his bed, he pulled out one of his books and began studying.

* * *

"He wouldn't even give me a chance," Hermione sighed as she turned to Draco who was sitting down with her in the library during study hall. "Draco…are you even listening?"

"Ye—yeah," He nodded as he stared at her.

"What did I just say?" Her eyebrows were suddenly raised on her soft face.

"You were talking about Potions," He gave her a blank expression.

"Draco, what's going on with you?" Hermione whispered to him.

"I'm sorry, I just…I'm expecting a visit from my father soon and I'm just not looking forward to it." He sighed.

"It's going to be alright," Hermione assured him, "Plus, if he disowns you from the family…you won't have to worry about any obligations with…" Her voice suddenly dropped as his eyes cut into hers. It's funny how even now as close as they were; he still had that mesmerizing effect on her.

"No matter what ties I am cut off from…I'm always going to have some sort of…obligation to _him_." Draco kept a strong expression on his face.

"How connected are you to him exactly?" Hermione could barely make herself ask this question.

"Let's not talk about this, okay?" He turned away from her to look down at his sketchpad.

"Draco," Hermione reached out to her, "We need to talk about this,"

"I can't, okay?" He said this rather roughly which caught Hermione by surprise, "I—listen, I'm sorry, I just can't do that…alright?"

"Okay," She meekly said to him. Biting her bottom lip, she tried not to let her emotions take the best of her. They spent the rest of the time in study hall doing their own separate things. Draco was working on a sketch while Hermione spent her time researching topics for her upcoming paper.

* * *

"Ron?" Harry walked into the dormitory searching for his friend who was nowhere to be found.

"I don't want to forgive her, I don't want to—I can't, okay? I can't." He tried to get his sentence out.

"Ron, what's going on? Did you get into it with her?" Harry knelt down beside his friend who was sitting on his bed.

"I don't want her in our lives anymore, Harry." Ron turned to get a better view of his friend.

"You're just mad, over time things will change, you'll see." Harry tried to assure his friend this, but Ron would have none of it.

"N—no, everyone says that, they all say that but it's not true." He shook his head, "I don't want her coming around us."

"Ron, if you don't want to be friends with her, than that's your choice. But Hermione is my friend too and she can help with Voldemort." Harry explained, "I'm not just going to drop her because you two got into an argument,"

"This is more than just some little fight, Hermione and I are done." Ron said, "I told her that I was done with her and I am. We're finished, over, completely."

"I think that you're just really hurt right now…"

"If you're my friend you wouldn't talk to her again, Harry." Ron gave him a serious look.

"This isn't primary school, mate." Harry shook his head, "That's not happening okay? Just get that idea out of your head right now."

"Why is it so hard for you to give up something—one thing for me; who is supposedly you best friend?" Ron questioned.

"I can deal with you being sad and moopey over the situation, Ron. I can tell you that it's going to be alright, encourage you to move on. I can be here when you need me to because that's what friends are for. But friends do not make friends choose who and who they are not friends with. Friends do not make another friend feel guilty for having other friends. I can deal with you being angry or vengeful, but I refuse to deal with you being pathetic, low and childish. You Ron, are being selfish. And until you get out of this damn hole that you dug yourself into with all of your feelings and emotions, I don't think I want to be your friend either." Harry shook his head at the stupidity.

"So you're siding with her? Well go ahead, I don't need you anyway!" Ron crossed his arms.

"That's really, really mature Ron. I'm not siding with anyone because there are no sides," Harry couldn't help but laugh at his childish manner.

"It's great that you think this is funny." Ron stood up to his feet.

"I don't think that it's funny, I think it's bloody ridiculous! How old are you, Ron?"

"You're ridiculous," Ron spat.

"Do you think I like the idea that Hermione is off with some idiot like Draco? Do you? Because I don't, okay? I loathe it! But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to leave her and pretend like our friendship isn't still there. That doesn't mean that I'm cutting off all ties with her and just letting her go. It means that I don't agree with all of her decisions and her thoughts, but I can respect them. And if you're a real friend, you should be able to do the same. And I know you can, Ron, I've seen you do it before. But right now you are too angry and hurt to see things clearly and rationally. I have tried everything in my power to help you. I've given you words of encouragement, I've watched you fight, I've watched you cry and scream, and I listened and responded and I don't know what there is left for me to do anymore. It's exhausting watching you go back and forth on your feelings and being there to support you no matter what you say or how you feel. You're my friend, Ron. I'm always going to be here for you, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you until you actually want to help yourself." Harry looked down at the now silent boy.

Maybe it was harsh that Harry said that the way he did. There could have been a big, red line that he crossed in their friendship, but sometimes you need someone to cross that line to show you that you're out of bounds too. Sometimes it takes the input of someone that you know cares about you to really see yourself and the actions you take. It was as if in this moment, Ron was seeing how off mark he was. His eyebrows raised slightly almost surprised that his normally quiet friend would react in such a way. But as Harry stood his ground and looked at Ron, he was becoming confident that he was right in his actions.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"I miss my hair," Hermione said softly as she watched Draco glancing over at a book.

"Your hair is beautiful." He responded.

"It's too short…" She commented as she tried to ran her fingers through it.

"It's fine," Draco finally gave a glance at her.

"How do you stay…so calm?" Hermione looked at him cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

"You never get upset. I've never once seen you cry over the fact that I have cancer." Hermione responded, "I don't want to see you cry, I'm just…surprised I guess..."

"I don't cry because I know that your body is going to fight this, you'll be fine." Draco replied.

"I don't think I can,"

"You need to be more positive then," He answered with a smile, "You're a fighter, Granger."

"Draco," She said in a timid tone, which made him look back at her, "My body stopped um…I don't think that, well, actually I know that…" She felt weak under his glance, "My body is rejecting the chemo therapy. The doctors have told me that I can't…there isn't any hope in me trying."

"We won't give up," Draco shook his head.

"No, you won't…but I will." Hermione replied.

"Granger, if you just give it time…"

"It's hurting me more than it's doing any good, Draco. If I'm going to die from this…I want to go without constantly using medication or machinery to keep me alive. Draco, that's not living…that's just…existing, and I don't want to just exist." She fiddled around with his collar on his robes. "It's time for me to start…planning."

"Planning for what?"

"My funeral," She replied with a serious glance.

"Granger—you're mad, you really are! Nothing is going to happen to you! I'll never let anything happen to you!" He shouted.

"What are you going to do? Huh? Are you just going to call up my cancer and tell him that if he doesn't go away your father will hear about it?" She tried to say this in a joking manner, but Draco didn't take it lightly. He stared at the ground for a few minutes. "It was a joke…" She finally said.

"I know," Draco breathed, "I didn't find it funny."

"I'm sorry," Hermione told him truthfully, "I was just trying to lighten up the mood, I guess." She shrugged.

"Lighten up the mood? You're talking about making your own death arrangements, you're not going to die."

"I will, eventually. Probably not too soon, because my body is still functioning pretty well. But give it time and the cancer will spread. My organs will shut down and I'll have no control over my body." Hermione explained.

"Can you stop?!" Draco shouted at her, "Can you just shut up for once?! I don't want to hear about how you think your organs will shut down one by one or the specifics of how you could die!"

"I just figured you'd want to know," Hermione defended herself, "Since we are…together…"

"You don't think I bloody know all the possibilities? The day I learned that you had cancer and it was confirmed, I came straight here, to the library. I read every single book that had any medical piece of information in it. I searched the library up and down for cures—any types of cures. I did everything in my power to find an answer, to find a cure, and there were only possibilities and hopes and beliefs and cultural myths and fixes and stories—and I couldn't find a damn thing that would guarantee you your life! So you know what I did?" He asked her as she watched him quietly, "I searched the whole library over again, twelve times to be exact. Because I was certain that as many times that you've been in here searching and looking for some clues to something, anything really, that there had to be an answer in at least one of these books! But there wasn't! There wasn't an answer! So I had to rely on something I don't even believe in! I had to rely on faith, faith which I cannot have because according to religions and spiritualties that would mean I'd have to be connected to some belief or being greater than myself. That means that I would have to have a relationship with an entity or a God or...or something. And I do believe that there's something—though I don't know what. And I believe that there are powers out there in the unknown, but I can't have full faith because I don't truly believe in any specific one! Therefore, I had to find faith in something that I believe in, and the only thing that I believe in is you, Granger! I believe in you! So please, do not ruin the only thing that I am left holding onto."

There was a long silence as Hermione stared at the boy in front of her. How could he be so beautifully screwed up and yet right in so many ways. He was wrong in many of his prior thoughts, but it proved right by the methods he used to get there. It made no sense, Draco made no sense at all. But maybe that was what attracted her to him. It was the fact that there could be absolutely no connection to anything and yet everything was still linked with one another. He was an oxymoron, he was a contradiction in himself. He was the darkness that even in the brightest of times shown, yet in the darkest of times he had a way of shinning. There was madness, it was everywhere. It leaked into his brain and it was sinking into his heart. And she couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to. But she had to admit that she really didn't want to. Because his pain, his suffering, his grieving, his emotions were beautiful in every essence. He was beautiful for all that he was, even if to the very core he was a monster. In many ways, so was she.

"I love you," She watched him standing there in front of her, slowly breaking.

"I love you too," He said quietly.

"It's going to be alright," She reached out towards him, "I know it will."

It was funny the way that he could distort her thinking like that.

* * *

"It's kind of crazy you know…" Ginny whispered to her twin brothers. "It's so unlike Hermione to be off with someone like Draco. We used to really hate him, you know?"

"Used to?" Fred laughed, "I still don't like that…"

"Fred," Ginny cut him off in a playful manner.

"He's got a point though." George commented, "I don't like the idea of her going off with him, either."

"Well, they aren't going anywhere, George." Ginny corrected him.

"Bloody Hell, Ginny, if I didn't know you better, I would say that you were sticking up for their relationship!" Fred chimed in.

"It's not that I agree…it's just that I don't disagree. I would have rather she stay with Ron because…well, I thought they were meant to be. But, I don't know. If he's what makes her happy, then I think she deserves that." Ginny explained her point of view.

"He's on Voldemort's side, Ginny," Fred exclaimed.

"You don't know that for sure," She shook her head.

"He's a death eater!" George backed his brother up.

"Have you seen the mark?" Ginny gave them both stern looks.

"I've heard that other kids have seen it. He covers his damn arm up all the time, haven't you noticed? It's suspicious. Hermione's weak, Ginny—really weak. If you ask me, he's using her for information…to somehow get something out of her that the Dark Lord could use to his advantage…" Fred said under his breath.

"He's only going to use her and then kill her off." George interrupted his brother, "There's no nice way to say it, Fred. He is what he is, and he's a monster. Hermione doesn't have herself in a good position here, Ginny. And since you are her friend…well, I feel like you should be the one to tell her."

"No," Ginny crossed her arms, "Absolutely not, I'm not ruining what makes her happy."

"Even if that means you save her life?" Fred wondered.

"Ugh," She stood up from the couch, "I hate you both."

"Love you too!" The boys sang out in unison as Ginny left the room.

* * *

"Can I ask you a question?" Blaise sat down on his bed in the dormitory.

"What?" Draco replied as if he was being bothered by his friend's presence.

"How exactly…does it work between you and Hermione? I mean, you two are just so different…I don't…"

"Well, it's none of your damn business how it works." Draco shot his friend a firm glance.

"S—sorry I asked," Blaise looked down at his book.

"But since you've asked," Draco rolled his head around on his shoulders to stretch out. "She's timid and meek. I'm strong and aggressive. That's how it works." He simply stated.

"That's what I figured. So she doesn't act any different when the two of you are alone?" Blaise inquired.

"No, she's still the same." Draco turned to his friend with newfound curiosity. "Why are you so interested in my Gryffindor?"

Blaise noted how he called her _his_ Gryffindor. It was as if he was talking about a book or a clothing item that he had just laying around. But his friend only paid attention to this for a few moments because it wasn't as if Draco had never said things like that before. It was just interesting to hear him say the word Gryffindor in a way that wasn't demeaning or snobbish. Though he didn't want to admit it, Blaise found this almost…admirable. Clearing his throat, Blaise tried to think of a good excuse for asking so many questions about such a personal topic. But when Draco found that even Blaise couldn't make up a stupid little lie, he understood exactly why he would ask.

"You're thinking about dating a Gryffindor, aren't you?" Draco felt a smile coming to his face.

"N—no," Blaise shook his head.

"Oh stop, you couldn't lie even if you tried. You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me." Draco let out a small laugh as he pulled off his robe.

"How do they act when you try to ask one out?" Blaise gave it all he had in playing it off like it wasn't a big deal.

"They aren't a breed, you know. They tend to have different personalities and such. I know it's a far stretch, being that all us Slytherin's are all so charismatic and charming, but Gryffindor most certainly offers a large selection of variety," Draco's serious tone soon turned to sarcasm and both boys found them laughing. "Who are you thinking about seeing, Blaise?"

"It's no one," Blaise shrugged, "You probably wouldn't know her anyway."

Draco watched his friend as he got up and got ready to go down to the Great Hall for dinner. When he found himself alone, Draco let his guard down and tried to put his mind at ease. There were too many stressful things going on and he really just didn't have the time for all of this. He needed to bring up his grades and prove to his counselor that he could actually become a Healer. Thinking about Hermione, he wondered what she wanted to do with her life. The two had never really had a discussion about their future plans. He wondered why that was since she was a girl who planned very far into the future. Then he took a moment to ponder how she would react to finding out how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

* * *

"Hermione," Ginny caught her in between studying.

"Hey," Hermione had her usual smile on her face as she saw the girl who walked closer to her. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Really? I actually wanted to talk to you too, so um, you go first." Ginny sat down next to Hermione.

"So I was thinking that since there's a dance coming up, maybe you and Harry would like to go on a double date with Draco and I?"

"Oh, well, I'd love to, but I'm not sure if…" Ginny stopped, how could she put this nicely? Maybe her brother was right, there was no nice way of saying this nicely at all, "I actually don't know if Harry and I are even going to go to the dance. Harry's really not that into it."

"That would be a shame," Hermione looked a little bummed out, "Maybe I can talk him into it,"

"Yeah…yeah, maybe." Ginny took a deep breath. This was far easier in her head.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Hermione began packing away her bag.

"Hermione…I don't know if this is true. So please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not saying this to offend you or hurt you. But there have at least been rumors going around at school…and Hermione I'm not quite sure how to say this…" Ginny nervously laughed.

"It's okay," Hermione put her hand on Ginny's lap. "Really, Ginny, I understand. It's just weird that you've waited this long to come to me."

"Is it? Good, I'm glad that you feel that way," Ginny smiled, feeling a bit relieved.

"I mean, there's been a lot going on and I guess I really haven't made myself available for you and I to talk about all of this. I can understand if you're mad or frustrated or even a bit confused…"

"I mean, I'm certainly not mad, I just…I guess I'm mostly just confused." Ginny explained.

"You have every right to be. It's okay, I can explain everything to you." Hermione nodded at the girl with the smile.

"I'd like that,"

"I mean, it's the reason I was gone for so long, you know?"

"Really?" Ginny became a bit shocked.

"Yeah, it took a lot of time." Hermione shrugged.

"I'm…I'm sure,"

"Yeah, it's the reason I cut my hair, the reason I went with the reduced schedule this year, it's changed a lot of things." Hermione thought about it all in her mind.

"It really has, pretty drastically, too." Ginny added on. "I'm just so glad we can finally talk about this. It's been on my chest for a while and I just really think I need to get it off. I am worried about you and your safety, we really are all worried, Hermione."

"And that's sweet of you, but you guys don't need to worry about anything." Hermione reassured her, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and Draco helps out a lot, you know?"

"I'm sure he does, Hermione. I think it's just that we're all really…blown away by the news."

"Well of course, that's to be expected, but maybe now that we've talked you can feel better about it all."

"I was so afraid you were going to be mad at me." Ginny couldn't contain her laughter.

"Why would I be mad at you? I mean, it's only natural that my friend would be worried about me after hearing through others that I have cancer. But it's going to be fine." Hermione hugged the girl who was sitting beside her. As Ginny embraced the hug, she realized that they had been talking about two different things this whole conversation. She really couldn't catch a break, could she?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Skin & Bones

When class let out that Monday morning, Ron hurriedly packed his things away. He nodded at Harry as if to let him know that he would see him later. Turning over to see the other side of the classroom, Ron was able to spot Hermione. She was looking rather sickly that day. Ron wasn't quite sure whether she would be feeling up to talking today or not, but he was going to at least make an effort to let her know that he was willing to work things out with her. Feeling a bit nervous as Draco's glance fell on him, Ron forced his way towards the couple. Draco quickly took Hermione's bag from her.

"Draco, I can get it," She insisted.

"No, I've got it." He lifted it up.

"I am perfectly capable of carrying my own—" Hermione stopped upon noticing Ron's presence.

"Hermione, I was wondering if we could talk." Ron said softly.

"Maybe tomorrow," Draco answered for her.

"We can talk now," Hermione gave Draco an odd look.

"Listen, we have a lot of things we need to get done and we don't have time for that today." Draco repeated himself, "Come on, Granger."

"Please, Hermione, it would only take a few moments," Ron pleaded.

"I need to talk to Snape," Hermione looked at the two boys, "Draco, you can go to the library, I'll be a few minutes late, okay?" She carefully excused herself to go talk with the tall, dark haired man.

"Listen, don't do anything stupid, Weasel." Draco approached him and hovered above him. "You have no idea how fragile she's been lately. I swear to Merlin if she ends up in the hospital wing today because of your conversation I will kick your arse."

Before Ron could reply, Draco had left the room. So he silently turned around to see Hermione heading towards him. He led her out into an empty hallway and then put down his bag on a bench. When he looked back at her, he noticed the seriousness in her eyes.

"Ron—" Hermione slowly began.

"I don't want to fight." Ron stated quickly before she could finish her sentence. "I don't want bad feelings or thoughts between us. I don't want us to be cut out from each other's lives."

"You—you don't?" Her eyes slightly widened.

"I've messed up a lot with you, Hermione. I didn't give you space and I wasn't…" He stopped as he looked at her cautiously, "I love you. I really do, Hermione." He could see the change of happiness to sadness in her eyes, "But I know you love him, and he loves you…and thought it hurts, I'm happy for you. I know I said some terrible things to you, and I honestly am sorry. I was just upset and confused. But I need you in my life, Hermione. Even if it's just a friendship, it doesn't matter. I need that. So…can you forgive me?"

There was a smile that grew across her face as she neared him. Throwing her arms around him, she couldn't help but get a little emotional. She honestly thought that their friendship was going to be over for good since that's what he apparently had wanted. Pulling away from him, she flashed him another genuine smile.

"I should probably head to study hall," Hermione gave him a reassuring smile.

"Okay," Ron nodded to her before they parted.

* * *

"I simply can't get through to her," Ginny told her twin brothers who were sitting in the Great Hall with her, "Every time I try to talk to her about it, she ends up taking the conversation into a totally different direction and we talk about something entirely different. She had no idea about Draco possibly being a death eater and I…well, I don't think that I should be the one to do it, quite frankly."

"Well then who do you suggests tells her?" Fred whispered across the table.

"Tell who what?" Neville sat down beside them.

"Tell Hermione that Draco's a death eater," George explained quietly to their friend.

"Well, why wouldn't you do it, Ginny? I mean, you are her friend and you're a girl and all…" Neville suggested.

"Thanks for the nomination, but I already tried and it didn't work." Ginny jokingly sneered at the boy for a minute.

"Well maybe Luna could talk to her," Neville mentioned.

"Not a chance," Ginny responded, "In case you haven't noticed, she practically adores Draco from a distance. There's something about Draco that draws her in."

"You think she…likes him or something?" Neville nervously questioned the table.

"Relax mate," George nudged him, "She isn't in love with him. Clearly, she's not jealous."

"What in the bloody hell do those two have in common?" Fred turned to his brother.

"He has a good point, you know." Neville agreed.

"You guys don't get it, do you?" Ginny laughed from across the table. "Draco's a misfit, he's an outcast really. He has very few friends and a million enemies. People talk about him terribly behind his back and no one gives him a chance, you know?"

The three boys looked at Ginny with questionable stares. They couldn't quite understand if she was trying to stick up for Draco or…

"Not that he deserves another chance, but that's not the point! The point is they are two odd balls. Luna probably just admires the fact that even though he is strange in his own way, he found someone who really cares about him. She probably is just fascinated by the idea that someday someone will love her too, for all the strangeness in her." Ginny's eyes shifted towards Neville carefully.

"Well…maybe Harry can do it," Neville began.

"There's no way he'd do it," Ginny shook her head. "He wouldn't want to get involved.

"But there's no harm in asking..." Fred pushed on.

"No harm in what?" Harry sat down next to Ginny and gave her a soft kiss.

* * *

"Hermione," Harry called down the hall as he spotted her next to Draco.

"Harry, it's nice to see you." She smiled as she turned around.

"Can I talk to you—alone?" Harry shared an awkward glance with Draco.

"Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of Draco, Harry. He's not on their side, I thought we went over this," Hermione softly replied.

"Hermione, I'd really like some privacy, this is kind of a personal thing." Harry explained, not looking over to Draco again.

"I'll just catch up with you later," Draco gave her a small kiss before leaving the two alone. Though Draco didn't like any of Hermione's friends, he actually trusted Potter with Hermione. (Though he still didn't necessarily like it).

"Okay, what's going on?" Hermione was now becoming incredibly interested in the conversation, "Did something happen between you and Ginny?"

"N—no, I just…maybe we should go somewhere more…private, okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Hermione nodded.

She followed her friend into the common room where he made sure they could be alone. He tried to clear his head before he started the conversation, but he was having trouble getting started. Hermione watched the boy pace back and forth for a few moments and then saw him rub his face with his hands. Letting out a long sigh, he finally sat down next to her and tried to start over again. Sitting up and preparing herself for bad news, Hermione watched Harry carefully. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had seen Harry in such a state as this. It was making her so worried that she was beginning to feel absolutely sick to her stomach.

"Hermione, there's something I need to tell you. A—and it's not going to be easy to say…or hear. But you have to trust me, alright? I'm your friend, Hermione and I only want what's best for you, you know that, right?" Harry wondered if this was the best way to start the conversation.

"Harry, you're beginning to freak me out." Hermione put her hand on his leg, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes—it's just…this is really hard for me to say, because I don't want you to be mad…" Harry rested his head in his hands.

"Seriously, you're scaring me…" Hermione began, "I'm not going to be mad…if you just…tell me what's going on already."

"Hermione, Draco…he's a death eater." Harry just blurted it out.

"What?" Hermione stood up, "Harry…did you actually see it?"

"Hermione you don't have to see it…you can…you can tell. People have been talking and he hasn't denied anything…I just…"

"How **_dare_** you," Hermione got to her feet in a haughty way.

"Wait…what? Hermione…"

"No, I honestly can't believe you! How could you even think for a minute that Draco would do something so reckless?" Hermione cried out.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be mad," Harry pointed out.

"I didn't think you were going to try to convince me into actually believing in something so idiotic!" She cried, "There is no way that he would do that. You're insane, Harry!"

"I wouldn't tell you something like this if I wasn't almost positive that it was true!" Harry pleaded with her, "Why would I do this if it wasn't the truth, huh? Why would I put you through this if I wasn't almost entirely sure of what he is?"

"You don't know what he is! You can't decide who he is, Harry! You don't even know him! I know him and I know he's not like that! He wouldn't—no, he couldn't do that! And the fact that you have the audacity to come to me with some stupid, flat out lie like this, well it just shows us where we stand, now doesn't it?" Hermione crossed her arms with a look of disbelief upon her face.

"What are you talking about? I stand with you, Hermione, we're on the same side." Harry exclaimed.

"Are we?" She wondered as the two stood silently in front of one another. Harry was speechless at this. Could she really think that he wasn't going to do everything in his power to protect her? He cared about her like a sister for Merlin's sake. "Listen, I have to go, I have reading I need to do and I…I don't have time for this rubbish."

"Okay," Harry whispered as he looked down at the ground. "Just be careful."

"I really do believe that you would only come to me with bad news if you knew it was for the best, Harry. I really do believe that you're trying to be a good friend, but you have to understand that whatever it is you heard...it's a lie. I know that you're trying to help, Harry. But please do me a favor, and just stay out of my love life, okay?" Hermione looked at him somewhat aggressively. Harry nodded slightly, but didn't look up at her. He was more hurt by her reaction than anything else. But he knew that there was nothing left for him to say or do. He could give her his opinion but he certainly couldn't make her change her mind.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione made her way to the hallway where she found Draco waiting for her. She couldn't get over the conversation that her and Harry had the night before. Part of her wanted to vent to Draco, but she knew that she couldn't. She didn't need him having any more of a reason to hate her friends than he already did. Trying to force a smile onto her face, she took his hand in hers and the two began heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Sitting down at the Slytherin table, Draco supported her carefully. It was ridiculous how gentle he was being with her, but she didn't want to say anything to him.

"What do you want?" Draco turned to her.

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet," She shrugged as she looked around the crowded table.

"Well, you have to eat," Draco replied as he got himself a few different items.

"I am going to eat, I just don't…" She started talking quietly, feeling embarrassed that some Slytherins began staring over at the couple.

"Granger, you're sick and you're losing a lot of weight, I'm worried." He finally admitted.

"W—what?" She looked down at herself quickly. Honestly, she hadn't even noticed how small she had been getting. Looking down at her now incredibly bony knees, she ran her hand down her stomach to find that she could feel her rib cage beginning to poke through. Again, she wondered how on Earth she could not notice this amount of weight loss.

"I didn't want to say anything, but you're worrying me. If you're doing this because…because you think that you're not the right size, well that's ridiculous. Granger, you look fine the way you are. And if you're doing this because of that dance coming up…"

"Draco, I didn't do this on purpose," Hermione cut him off, "I had absolutely no idea that I was losing weight, I've just lost my appetite lately."

"Oh," Draco stopped, feeling a bit idiotic. He watched the girl as she let out a small breath. Reaching across the table she grabbed a small muffin and took a bite out of it. When he noticed that she was agitated by his accusations, he decided to change the subject.

"So…about the dance…"

"What about it?" She said in an upset tone as her eyes shot up to his.

"I…I was just wondering if you'd like to go." Draco watched her as she put her hand on a glass of water in front of her. "With me…"

"I don't know," She said nonchalantly.

Did she not know how bloody hard it was for him to ask her that? How could she not realize that he absolutely hated dances, or practically everything about this school and what it offered. It wasn't as if he wanted to go to the stupid event. Draco didn't care whether his friends were going or not, because he simply never enjoyed them. They were always filled with endless nights of him trying to dodge Pansy and her group of friends. The rest of the time he would spend getting drunk with his Quidditch team mates under a staircase. With everything in him, he loathed dances. But he was going to ask her anyway, because he knew how much she loved them. But he understood that she was just angry right now and hopefully by the end of the day this would all blow over. Hermione wasn't one for holding grudges.

"Okay, well, think about it." He took another bite of his food and then remained quiet for the rest of breakfast.

* * *

After classes were over, Hermione went straight to the dormitory. She didn't stick around to talk to Draco or even make plans with him. She was still too upset about his remark earlier. As she stood in front of a mirror next to her bed, she realized how prominent her collar bones had become. This was when she realized that she hadn't just lost a few pounds, she lost so much that she was beginning to look like skin and bones. Letting out a soft sigh, she heard a few girls rush into the room crying and screaming. Startled, she quickly made her way to the group.

"What's going on? Is there anything I can do to help?" Hermione asked.

"It's Dumbledore," One cried.

"Wait, what's wrong with him? Where is he at?" She felt her heart begin to race.

The girl's continued to cry and Hermione couldn't quite make out what they were trying to say to her. Getting irritated, Hermione swiftly left the dorm and headed down to the common room where she found everyone crowded around talking in loud voices. Her eyes scanned the room for any familiar face that could explain to her what was happening. She pushed through a large crowd and eventually spot Ginny across the way. Nudging her way to the front, she felt a hand touch her arm. Hermione whipped her head around to see Luna.

"What's going on?" Hermione helplessly questioned the girl.

"Dumbledore's dead," Luna answered her.

It was as if a swarm of emotions hit her. She felt tears welling up behind her eyes but she refused to cry. Not like this and not now. Leaving Luna and finding Harry with his body hunched over a chair, Hermione rushed to aid him. Throwing her arms around him, she felt him begin to cry into her shoulder. This made it even harder for Hermione to remain calm and collected. She didn't quite understand how all of this happened, but she was sure that she wouldn't be surprised to find out that Voldemort had something to do with it. Pulling him aside from the crowd and into a small corridor, Hermione examined Harry's weak expression. Pushing his bangs to the side of his face, she couldn't resist hugging him once more. The very sight of him like this broke her heart.

"Harry, did they say how it happened?" She pushed herself to ask this question.

"I was there, Hermione…" He said in between a few deep breaths, "I saw him die…"

"I'm so sorry," This was all she could think to say.

"Snape killed him," Harry broke the newfound silence.

"Snape? But…he's on our side, isn't he?" Hermione became confused.

"I don't…I don't know anymore." Harry shook his head, "But Hermione, we weren't the only ones there."

"What do you mean?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"Draco was there, Hermione." Harry said, "He was going to kill Dumbledore himself…but Snape intervened. And there were a few other figures…but I couldn't see everything, it was such a blur."

"No…" Hermione shook her head as she put her back against the stone wall behind her.

"He was going to kill him, I heard them talking. But he didn't want to Hermione, he genuinely didn't want to." Harry paused, "But he showed Dumbledore something on his arm. I know you're still upset with me for my accusation against him, but…I really think he's a death eater. I think he showed Dumbledore his dark mark."

"I…I need to go," Hermione quickly apologized and then made her way across the castle to the Slytherin dormitory.

* * *

She whispered the secret words that Draco had told her about a few weeks ago to open up the common room's door. When she walked into the common room, she saw all eyes were on her. Standing tall and proud, she took in the gawking stares and whispering words. Walking up into the boys dormitory, Hermione felt her rage bursting at the seams of her body. Opening up the wooden door, she found Draco talking with Blaise and a few others.

"Draco!" She suddenly caught his attention.

"Granger," He made his way towards her.

"What the Hell is going on?" She hollered, "What did you do?"

"Calm down," He said, "Don't make a scene out of this…"

"Make a scene?" Hermione laughed and then turned to the small crowd in the room, "Get the hell out! Go!"

The crowd quickly vanished from the room and went downstairs. Hermione stared at the door until she was completely certain that they were alone. Trying to keep her cool, she swallowed hard and then carefully looked at him. His hands were in his pockets and he was perched up against the wall with a worried look on his face. Approaching him, she took another deep breath as though it was her last chance to keep calm.

"You were there," Hermione stated.

"I was," Draco nodded.

"You almost killed him,"

"Yes," He agreed, thinking about what had happened.

"Why would you—how _could_ you even…Draco, please explain this to me. Tell me that this isn't what it looks like…" Hermione's eyes lifted from the floor to where Draco was standing.

"I can't do that, Granger. I thought we talked about this." He calmly said.

"You have to tell me…" She whispered, "You have to tell me, Draco. If you want this to work, you have to."

"I'm only trying to keep you safe," Draco said.

"I don't know if I can do this without knowing…" Hermione shook her head, "I need you to be honest with me."

"I need you to trust me!" Draco finally pushed himself off the wall and got closer to her, "I need you to trust me, Granger. Trust that I'm only keeping secrets because I'm trying to protect you. Just trust the fact that I'm not on their side, I'm with you, I'm always with you, on your side, Granger." He paused as he looked at her expression changing, "I need you to accept the fact that it's going to be hard for us for a while. I have to protect you from all of this, you have to understand that…please, just…"

"I need you to trust me too!" Hermione cried, "I need you to trust the fact that I can protect myself from whatever it is your trying to protect me from…Draco, I need to know what was going on and…"

"I can't do that! Have you listened to a word I've been saying?" He screamed, "I can't do it, Granger! I can't!"

"Why?!" She hollered back.

"Because of this!" He shouted as he lifted up his sleeve. Hermione slowly looked down at his arm where she found the dark mark.

_She knew it, she bloody knew it. She just didn't want to believe it._

But here, standing in front of him and looking down at the mark etched onto his pale skin, she knew it was true. Carefully looking down at it and then glancing up to meet his stare, she began shaking her head.

"N—no, please, no…" She took a step backwards.

"Granger, please…just…just listen…"

"Now you want to talk?" Hermione felt tears coming down her face, "Because just a little bit ago, you wouldn't say a word to me about this!"

"Don't cry," He said in a reassuring tone.

"No, stop! Just stop, Draco! Stay away from me! Don't touch me, or…just…" She couldn't breathe, she physically couldn't breathe. Running down the steps, she made her way back to the common room. She rushed past a group of Slytherins who looked like they were celebrating. She heard Draco coming down the stairs and calling out her name. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, and she thought it was Draco, but it wasn't.

"Hey, mudblood," Pansy laughed in front of a group of her friends.

"Pansy, back off," Draco began.

"Oh, relax Draco, I'm just having some fun with your little toy," The crowd forming around them began laughing at Pansy's remark.

Hermione immediately turned around and punched Pansy directly in the face. The girl wasn't expecting this reaction and went falling down to the ground. She let out a loud yelp as she realized that her nose was bleeding. Her friends rushed to aid her. Draco looked up from the injured girl and up to Hermione who was rushing out of the room. He followed her down the staircase and outside to the courtyard. He was having a hard time trying to keep up with her fast paced run. But he finally caught up to her when he reached the boathouse. Hermione held her face in her hands as she began crying. Rain started pouring down as he made her way towards her.

"It was before I met you, Granger. It was before I changed and I…I'm sorry, but I can't get out of this." He softly approached her.

"How could you?" She asked, "How could you?"

"I was different back then, you know that. But that isn't who I am now…Granger, you believe me don't you?" Draco reached around her.

"I want to, I really do…" She answered with tears still streaming down her face, "I fought so hard to tell them all they were wrong. I told them that you could never do something like that and they…they were right…"

"I'm sorry," He said, "I should have told you, but I didn't want you being dragged into this side of my life,"

"When the War comes…you will fight on their side?" She looked at him carefully.

"I…I don't know," Draco replied softly.

"I'll protect you, he won't hurt you if you just stay with me. Don't go with them, Draco. We will defeat him…"

"But you shouldn't have to protect me, it shouldn't be like this." He demanded, "I won't have you protecting me, I'm protecting you."

"Then let's just protect each other," She replied, looking up at his soft features. "Just promise me you won't fight for their side anymore…"

"It's not that simple," He replied.

"But it is," Hermione corrected him. The two stared at each other for a few moments. They were becoming soaking wet form the rain but neither one of them cared. He took her face in his hands and kissed her carefully. He was so afraid that he was going to lose her. All of his insides began shaking as he felt her arms reaching up towards him. Holding him tight in her grasp, she tried to steady her breathing.

"So have you thought about my question?" He looked down at her.

"What?"

"Will you go to the dance with me?"

"You're really going to ask me right now?" She looked up at him with still tear-filled eyes.

"Um..." He tried to find the right words to say, but nothing was coming to him.

"Yes, Draco. I'll go with you."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I Love You

Hermione looked at the mirror in the girl's bathroom. Placing her hands over her stomach, she had a disapproving look appear across her face. There was no denying her thinness, but she didn't like being as skinny as she was now. It was getting to a point where you could see almost all of her bones through her shirts unless they were baggy. Trying to ignore the fact that her back bones were showing through the back of her dress, she carefully made her way over to Ginny who was curling Luna's long hair. When the two noticed Hermione's face turning an odd shade of red, they quit what they were doing and made their way over to her.

"What is it?" Ginny was the first to voice the question.

"N—nothing," Hermione wiped the small tear that had escaped from her right eye.

"Hermione, you can tell us anything," Luna hugged the girl tightly and then stayed by her side.

"It's just…everything is beginning to feel like…my last, you know?" She barely managed to get out before another tear fell. As the two girls began comforting her, Hermione shook her head and broke free of their grasps. "No, I'm—I'm fine, really. This isn't about me anyway, this is about you guys tonight."

"It's not about all of us, Hermione." Luna shook her head as she touched the girl's hand reassuringly.

"The two of you look so beautiful, your dates are so lucky to have you!" Hermione changed the subject immediately. She hated talking about herself—even if it was a life threatening condition. She couldn't stand the attention being on her for very long and she hated to sound like she pitied herself.

"Please, I'm far luckier to have Harry than the other way around," Ginny looked in the mirror at her long, straightened hair that fell perfectly onto her chest. She was wearing a long, blue mermaid dress that complimented every inch of her body. It made her look elegant and fragile, but in a tasteful manner. Feeling more like a doll and less like a teenager, Ginny turned to see Luna who was wearing a bright, red dress. It was a tea length dress that puffed out at the end to show off her pale legs. It complemented her petite figure and also showed off her playful personality. The two girl's honestly looked stunning.

"Oh, shut up, Ginny," Hermione laughed, "You are both lucky to have each other."

"You and Draco are going to be the cutest couple there," Luna suddenly noted aloud.

"Here, let me finish your hair," Ginny began running her fingers through Luna's hair and then picked up where she had left off.

Hermione watched the blonde sit back down. "You like Draco, don't you?"

"Yes," Luna nodded, "I know that he cares about you more than anyone he's ever cared about before."

"You seem like you know him well." Hermione couldn't resist giving the girl a smile. She was more relieved than anything that at least one of her friends approved of their relationship.

"I know everyone pretty well…from a distance, anyway. I'm good at reading people's emotions." She gave the girl a shrug as she looked over to Ginny who kept silent during their conversation. Though Ginny didn't say anything bad about Draco or how she didn't approve of the relationship in general, it was painfully obvious that she didn't like it. Hermione couldn't blame the girl. If the situation was vice versa, she would be reluctant to give the relationship her blessing too. But thankfully, Hermione didn't need the approval of her friends to be in a relationship with whomever she wished.

When Luna stood up and looked in the mirror she was pleased with the outcome. Ginny gave her friend a small smile and then went to unplug the curling iron that she had got a few years ago from her parents who were obsessed with muggle items.

"Hermione, do you want me to curl—" She stopped as she swerved on her heel and then remembered that Hermione had cut her hair really short. "Hermione—oh Merlin, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking.."

"No, it's fine, I understand," Hermione gave a look into the mirror again at her short hair. She had actually fixed it in an interesting way that she was beginning to actually like.

"Come on, guys!" Someone yelled from the door, "It's going to start in just a few minutes!"

The girl's all shared a glance towards one another.

"You guys go on, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes." Hermione assured the two.

"Don't be too long!" Luna shouted as the two girls made their exit.

When Hermione was alone, she looked into the mirror for several minutes at herself. Though her bones were showing through, she didn't look as sickly as she thought she would. Carefully putting her hand on her face, she noticed every detail of herself under the harsh light. Letting out a long breath, she looked up at her hair which Luna had cut again a few hours prior. It was now even shorter on the sides than it had been, but the top was a bit longer and styled to spike upwards. The image she was putting off was certainly a tad more edgy than her normal style, but she was taking a liking to it. Her dress was corset style at the waist, and the it went A-line towards the bottom. It was a deep green with a fine, black lace that covered the top of it. At the top of her corset, the sweetheart styled rim was covered with black gems. Giving one last look into the mirror, she decided that it was time to leave.

Walking down the staircase, Hermione noticed a few heads turn towards her. Some students began whispering and muttering a few words to one another about the girl's appearance. From the corner of her eyes, she even saw a few fingers being pointed in her direction. It was hard for her to stay confident with so many eyes on her, but she tried to embrace it instead of cowering away like she normally would have. When Draco noticed a few gawking expressions, he turned away from Blaise whom he had been having a pleasant conversation with, and looked upwards towards the girl. At this point, she was mere feet away from the two.

"She's…stunning." Blaise gave Draco's back a small tap.

"She's always stunning," Draco left his friend to approach the girl in front of them. "Granger,"

"Draco," Hermione looked him with a nervous smile.

"Your hair," He noted, "A—and…green?"

"Well, it _is_ my favorite color," She remembered the time in the library when he confronted her about how well he actually did know her. The memory flashed through her mind vividly as she smiled.

"You're beautiful," He reached out and gave her a small kiss. Taking her hand in his, he turned around to see Blaise with his own date, Lavender Brown.

"Lavender…?" Hermione was shocked at what she was seeing, "I had no idea,"

"Wow," Draco tried to wrap his head around the thought, but was evidently still having trouble doing so.

"You two aren't the only star crossed lovers," Lavender laughed as she looked from Draco to Hermione.

To this, both Hermione and Draco laughed, understanding the joke. Hermione flashed a glance to Draco who still had a bright expression on his face. As Blaise questioned her joke, Draco turned to meet her stare, almost surprised by it even. But Hermione simply looked away in an almost embarrassed manner. Once the couples split up and made their way into the Great Hall, Hermione finally let out a deep breath. As they walked into the room, Hermione felt Draco's hand upon her back to help guide her through the crowd.

* * *

The two stood by the refreshments and watched the evening's festivities. Hermione pointed out Luna who was escorted by Neville onto the dance floor. He looked so nervous as she placed his hand onto her waist. But it was probably the cutest thing that Hermione had ever seen. It was funny how the two of them as a couple never even crossed her mind. But now that it had, Hermione felt like they were the perfect match.

Within moments, Draco turned her attention to Blaise and Lavender who were sitting closely to one another. His hand was on hers in an affectionate way. Her eyes were staring into his in a movie-like manner that made Hermione feel inadequate. Everyone wants to be looked at in that way just as much as they want to look at someone else that way. It was so passionate and beautifully innocent. Lavender seemed far more mature than she had been when she dated Ron. Hermione was actually beginning to like this girl that she had transformed into.

"Look at Harry," Hermione laughed as she saw the group she normally would be hanging with. As her eyes fell upon Ron who was standing next to Harry and Ginny, she noticed the twins advancing their way over to the group. She felt happy, looking down at the crew, but a small piece of her felt sad. She missed hanging out with them like she normally would, but at the same time, she understood that they wouldn't all be able to get along for more than ten minutes if she took Draco over there.

"Go ahead," Draco nudged her carefully.

"What?" She had been caught off guard.

"Go on and hang out with them for a while," Draco nodded at her.

"No, I want to be with you," Hermione shook her head.

"Go be with them for a while, you and I can catch up later." He assured her that he wasn't going to be offended.

"Thank you," She softly replied as she started walking away.

"So tell me, Draco," A voice from behind him said, "What is it like to really love someone?"

"Pansy," Draco almost jumped as he turned around to see her. She was wearing a dark, tight dress that hugged her body. She was the most beautiful girl in Slytherin that night, but she still couldn't compete with Granger.

"Well? You do really love her…don't you?" She crossed her arms.

"What do you want Pansy?" Draco turned away, looking at the scene around them.

"I just want you to know that though I don't agree with your…choice, I'm happy you found her." Pansy legitimately sounded sincere when she said this.

"You…mean that?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for you being with that mudblood…well, I wouldn't have met Miles," Pansy pointed to a Slytherin boy across the room.

"Oh…really?" Draco noticed the guy.

"Yeah, so I guess it was a good thing, you know? I mean, if it wasn't for you being with that thing over there…well, it looks like I would have settled." Pansy laughed to herself.

"She has a name, Parkinson. Learn it. And if you've just come over here to try to make a fool of me, you've completely lost it. I'm with Granger and I'm happy. If your happy with Miles, then that's good for you, but I certainly couldn't give a damn about your happiness. Now, if you're done boring me, I'm leaving." Draco walked away before Pansy could answer with something witty.

* * *

"Really, Hermione, you're absolutely gorgeous," Fred laughed.

"I've never seen this side of you before," George added in.

"I like it," Ron commented with a soft smile.

"Well thank you," She felt her cheeks blushing.

"I love this song!" Ginny pulled on Harry's sleeve, "Come on," She pulled him onto the dance floor where he quickly put his hands on her waist. When Hermione turned around, she noticed that Fred and George were being pulled away by their dates as well. She turned around to see that Ron was the only one left of the group. They looked at each other oddly.

"Did you bring a date?" Hermione questioned.

"No," He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh," She felt awkward now and wished that she hadn't had said anything at all.

"It's funny, I thought that this year, I would ask you to a dance," He nervously laughed, "Ever since fourth year I've wanted to dance with you."

"Well…even though we aren't each other's date…it doesn't mean we can't dance." Hermione softly whispered.

"I'd rather not get killed by your boyfriend tonight," Ron said with a small laugh.

"Come on," She tugged on his hand and led him out to the floor.

"Hermione, I really don't think that this is a good idea," He followed her.

"It's just one dance," Hermione put her right hand in his hand and her left hand on his shoulder. He carefully put his hand on her waist and gave an awkward gulp. As the music started up again, he led her around and twirled her. The two smiled and laughed whenever the music got too upbeat and they had trouble keeping up with the pace. He twirled her around once more before the song began to slow down. But for a moment they stayed in that same position with his hands still around her. "Want to dance once more?" She couldn't resist asking again. She watched his happy expression quickly change.

"I—I can't," He shook his head as a frown appeared on his lips.

"I'm sorry—did I…say something or…do something?" Hermione became puzzled at his reaction.

"No, it's just…it's too hard." He whispered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She dug further even though it was clear he didn't want to talk about it.

"It's difficult for me, Hermione. You're right here and yet…I can't have you," He softly explained.

"Oh…Ron," She felt sorry again. Would she screw up everything?

"No, don't be sorry," She shook her head, "It's fine. Thank you though, for dancing with me."

"Mind if I interrupt?" Draco walked up to the two as the music started up.

"No, not at all." Ron took a few steps away and then disappeared into the crowd. Hermione's glance turned from where the redhead was standing to where Draco was.

"Everything alright?" He neared her.

"Yes," She forced a smile onto her face even though she as worried about Ron. "Yes, I'm quite fine, thank you."

"Want to get something to drink with me?" Draco looked down at her. Hermione quickly nodded and headed off into the distance with him. When they reached the punch, he poured her a cup first before getting one for him. As she stared at Draco, she wondered if he had ever danced before or would ever be willing to in the first place. But she felt as though he should be the one to ask her, not the other way around. So she stood silently and continued to sip from her cup. Standing by the wall, Hermione watched the dance floor anxiously.

"I don't dance," Draco leaned over her.

"That's okay," Hermione shrugged, "I'm not really in the mood to dance anyway." She was certainly getting to be a good liar.

"Want to go somewhere a little less crowded?" Draco wondered.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty nice actually." Hermione nodded as she out down her drink.

Draco led Hermione out of the room and into a dark hallway. Sitting down on a bench across from her, his gaze lifted. She had found a bench just across the hall that she perched on. The two stared at each other for a few minutes without saying anything. Typically, Hermione hated it when he looked at her in this way. It made her feel like there was something wrong with her appearance. But when they were alone, she was too caught up in his presence to even care about how he looked at her. Still with silence filling the air, he walked over to her slowly. Bending down in front of her, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. As he continued to linger above her, she noticed the frigidness; the restraint in every in his tense body.

She could smell his musky cologne that was clouding up all of her senses. Kissing her lips softly, she felt him holding back and trying to be gentle with her. Hermione appreciated this, but she wasn't made of glass. Standing to her feet, she put her arms around his neck as she stood up on her tip toes. Kissing him back eagerly, she felt him stopping her.

"Granger—you're too weak…" He whispered, "Don't push yourself too hard."

"Draco, I'm not going to break," Hermione laughed as she looked up at him.

"Listen, it's just…I don't think that you're really ready to do much. You're too weak right now…" Draco explained carefully.

"Draco, I can decide for myself whether or not I'm too sick to do something." Hermione crossed her arms.

"You've been up all day and you didn't get to rest at all."

"Draco," Hermione stated loudly, "Draco, I don't need you to be my father!"

He suddenly became silent and then listened to what she had to say.

"I am not going to break! I am not going to just crumble at your touch! So stop being so damn gentle with me! I can't stand this anymore! I understand that you're trying to be nice and all but I just…I don't need you to treat me like some fragile artifact." Hermione finally blurted out to Draco. His eyes widened slightly, surprised by her reaction. "I'm sorry, can I just…can I just have one night where you aren't treating me like I'm a China doll?"

Draco went to say something, but then decided against it. Pushing her backwards onto the stone wall behind her, he kissed her and this time with a lot more force. His hands reached around her to pull her closer. She felt something inside her beginning to change as he then pulled her away from the wall and then closer to him again. Placing his hand on her back, he gripped onto her hips firmly as he continued to kiss her.

"D—Draco," Hermione put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Yes?" He pulled away from her, but only for a moment. He began kissing her neck as she talked on.

"N—no, Draco, please listen…"

"I am," He laughed as his breath tingled her skin.

"No—no seriously," She giggled but then looked at him with a serious face. "I need to tell you something that I've been thinking about."

"Alright," He kissed her once more before backing up a bit.

"I love you," Hermione admitted to him. She wasn't quite sure how he would react to this. They hadn't particularly told each other this before, even though it was evident that the feelings were there. "I love you, Draco."

"I know," He kissed her lips again and pulled her to his chest.

"D—Draco," Hermione said in a muffled tone against his lips, "Draco, do you love me?"

He pulled himself away from her at this point and let his grip on her go. How could she always be so bloody inconvenient? He looked as though he was mulling over some thoughts in his head. She watched him carefully as she rolled her tongue behind her lips. This was going to be painfully awkward if he didn't feel the same way about her. Rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment, he looked back down at her. He could see her expression slowly changing and he realized now that every minute he waited to reply, the harder the situation was becoming for her.

"I really, really, like you." He answered.

"You really like me?" Hermione questioned, "Like…like a friend?"

"You ask too many questions," Draco towered over her once more and tried distracting her with a few more kisses.

"Draco—stop, I'm serious. Do you not love me back?" Hermione pushed him away and gave him a tough stare.

"Granger…" He stood silently. The night was going so well and now this? Why did she have to do this? If she would have just kept her mouth shut about her damn feelings they wouldn't be in this situation. They could have just been satisfied with where they were at in their relationship.

"No—it's okay," Hermione nodded, "That's good that I know that though. I need to know that."

"Don't be angry with me," Draco began.

"I'm not. I'm not angry with you, Draco. I'm glad that you told me that because I was wondering where we stood and all…and it's okay, don't feel bad. You have a right to feel whatever it is you feel." Hermione began walking away from him.

"Granger, wait, don't leave…" Draco followed her down the abandoned hall, but she wasn't going to stop. "I love chasing after you all the bloody time!" He shouted as she made her way back to her dormitory. Draco almost didn't follow her because he was getting sick of her doing this, but something in his very core made him do it at least one more time.

"I'm going to bed, I'll see you tomorrow!" Hermione shut the dormitory door in Draco's face. When he tried to open it and realized that she had locked it, he pulled out his wand and performed a small spell. Walking inside, he found Hermione taking off her earrings.

"We need to talk now." Draco said in a voice that suddenly startled Hermione. It was that voice that typically meant things were going downhill in a relationship. Biting her bottom lip, she turned towards him and decided to give him a chance to speak.

"Okay," She sat down on her bed and watched him do the same.

"I've never told anyone that I've loved them before." Draco looked down from his hands and up to Hermione who was staring at him. "Not because I was scared…but because I never felt like I really...loved anyone. My parents didn't really love or care about me…my friends never really…I've just never loved anyone before, okay?" He looked up at her to make sure that she was still following. "I do love you, Hermione…I do but this is…hard for me, it's new to me."

"I don't think I understand…"

"All of the relationships that I've been in have been strictly physical. There were no emotions or feelings that we shared…at least not both ways anyway. I've never cared about anyone more than myself. But I care about you more than anything and anyone. I've felt like this for a long time now, Granger. But I don't want to say it and then screw everything up and…"

"You're scared," Hermione finished his sentence. The two stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. "You don't need to be scared, Draco." She put a hand on his face, "I'm not going to hurt you. I love you,"

"I love you too," Draco looked at her cautiously.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed Draco abruptly. He put his hands on her jaw and carefully moved himself closer to her. She felt his kisses trail down her neck as he gently pushed her onto her back. Opening her eyes, she saw him above her, still holding onto her tightly. His hands began unraveling the back of the corset dress she was wearing which was laced up tightly. She felt Draco's breath and scent overwhelming her. They had never been so close to one another. In fact, Hermione had never been this close to anyone before. It was almost scary that Draco was so comfortable with their proximity, while Hermione found it overpowering, but in a good way. Running his fingers through her short hair, he gave her another kiss as if to reassure her that it was going to be okay.

Everything between them felt so…right. The moment, the words, the emotions, it was all real and yet it just felt like a dream that she was going to wake up from any minute. But she didn't wake up until the next morning, when she found herself alone.

Rubbing her forehead, she tried to remember him leaving the dorm, but she couldn't collect her thoughts. Looking around the room she found that all of the beds were filled with her room mates. She went to get up out of her bed, but when she did, she noticed the large black shirt she was wearing. It was clearly Draco's shirt that he had worn to the dance. Giving a nervous glance around the room, she made sure that no one else was moving. She wasn't ready to be questioned about her attire. Grabbing her robe from her trunk, she covered herself up and then headed down to take a shower.

As she turned on the shower and got in, Hermione tried to remember everything that had happened. Washing her hair, she noticed how sore her muscles were. Her whole body was aching in ways she didn't know it could ache. Stumbling out of the shower, she quickly got dressed before placing Draco's shirt into her bag. She figured she could give it to him when she saw him today. Heading into the hallway, she wondered if he was even up yet. When she got back to her dorm, the other girls were just getting up and rolling out of bed.

"The dance had a great turn out," Ginny smiled over at Hermione, "Hey whatever happened to you and Draco? I didn't see you guys anywhere,"

"We ditched kind of early," Hermione explained, "I wasn't feeling to good."

"Oh, that's a shame." Ginny frowned, "But did you at least have fun?"

"Yeah," Hermione smiled and then said goodbye to her friends. She wanted to get breakfast earlier today because she was excited to see Draco. But when she got to the Great Hall, her feelings changed.

She walked into the hall behind a group of people so she blended in. As her eyes scanned the room, she saw Draco sitting across the table from Blaise and Theo who were all talking with one another. When she went to take a step forward, she felt her body beginning to panic. Her palms became sweaty and her heart started pounding in her chest. Why was she so nervous? Trying to push herself further into the hall, she ended up back out in the hallway. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she decided she would just have to try again.

"Hermione," Harry and Ron walked up to her with happy faces.

"Hey guys," Hermione smiled, "I—I'm feeling really sick today, I won't be able to make it to class. If Draco asks about me, can you tell him that?"

"Of course," Harry nodded, "Well, I hope you feel better."

"Y—yeah, thanks." Hermione headed up back to her dormitory.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Otter & The Ferret

Hermione stared outside the window in her dormitory. Her legs were propped up in the window sill because she knew that she would be there for quite some time. She had a blanket wrapped around her that Molly Weasley had made her a few Christmas's ago. Placing her forehead against the large glass, Hermione could feel the warmth of the sun now hitting her. Her attention was only pulled away from the beautiful sight when she heard knocking on the door. Though she found it unusual that they wouldn't just come in, she quickly made her way over. Gripping onto her wand which was at her night stand, she pulled the heavy, wooden boulder over.

"Draco," Hermione felt her heart pounding again.

"Are you alright?" Draco entered the room, though Hermione wasn't acting like she really wanted him to.

"Y—yeah,"

"Potter told me you weren't feeling well. So I wanted to come by and make sure that…" He turned to her at this point and then lost his sentence. She was staring down at the ground, purposely averting her eyes away from him. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest as if she would break at any moment. He could tell by the flushness of her face and the sad look that her eyes carried that everything was wrong. So he moved closer to her, and put his hand on her jaw. Watching her timid stare as he forced her to look upwards at him, she lost her breath. His abruptness had made her lips slightly part.

"I—I'm fine, Draco." She tried lying to him once more.

"I'm not falling for it," He shook his head, "Did I do something?"

"No, of course not," Hermione immediately replied, "You're…perfect, Draco. You're just bloody perfect, okay?" She broke away from his grasp, and made her way back over to the window, where she stood and tried to recollect her scattered thoughts.

"You know that I love you…don't you?" He walked up behind her.

"Yes," She said in an unconvinced way.

"Then why are you acting like I hurt you? I would never hurt her, Granger." She remained completely silent. "I'm always going to be here for you. You realize that, don't you? I'm not leaving you or betraying you, okay? Whatever this is about, we can work it out. You just have to open up a little, Granger. Tell me what you're thinking about. It's going to be okay." He paused once more with hopes for her to reply, but still she said nothing. "I really do love you, Granger."

"Can you just—just stop!" Hermione finally turned around and gave him a stern glance. The two stood frozen in time for a moment. He had never seen Hermione in such an odd manner. He had seen her upset, angry, frustrated, hurt, but he never saw her with all of these emotions just raging through her like right now that it made her silent. Her emotions were literally engulfing her and she had nowhere to turn. Draco wanted her to just turn to him, to vent to him, or something…but she wasn't having it.

"Just talk this out with me," Draco began.

"There's nothing to talk about," Hermione went over to her bed where her bag lay.

"Obviously there's something you're trying to make your mind up about. If you talk to me, we can come to a conclusion together—a rational one. We can work it out,"

"I've already made up my mind." Hermione said flatly as she pulled out his black shirt and handed it to him.

His eyes left the shirt that she practically shoved in his hands, and drifted up towards her. She stood there looking at him for a mere second and then quickly turned away. Climbing back up to the window sill, she covered herself up in the blanket and pulled out a book to read. Draco watched how calm she was being and yet how broken she really was. He could see past this stupid act, this childish air that she was putting on for show. Walking over to her, he continued to watch her. Then eventually, he broke. When he began walking away, she went to get up, but then stopped halfway up. He was now sitting up on her bed in a comfortable position.

"What are you doing?" Hermione finally stood up fully.

"I'm not leaving until we talk about this."

"You're _not_ staying." Hermione bit back.

"Try to make me leave," Draco stood up to his feet and watched the girl.

It wasn't until now that she snapped. She had been trying to hold it together so well and now she was bursting at the seams. Why couldn't he make this easy? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Better yet, why did he have to show up at all? Could he not see how hard this was for her? Was it that difficult to realize that she had enough? This wasn't a good relationship for her to be in. This wasn't the right time, or place, let alone the right person. They were too different. She was foolish for believing that they could ever work out. And he was stubborn, and she hated stubborn people. She hated every stubborn person she saw, especially the one she found in the mirror.

By time she made her way over to him, he was already standing there. She tried to gently push him towards the door, but when that didn't work, she began getting even more angry and things started getting out of hand. She pushed him backwards roughly this time. Though she had put all of her weight into this shove, he only stepped backwards one or two steps. This made her even more angry, so she slapped him once, twice, three times. But he still stood there, looking down at her. Why was he looking at her like that? Why wasn't he getting angry or upset or fighting back? How could he not be at his wits end? Was it really that hard to take a hint? She punched him in the chest just twice, before her knuckles turned red and she felt faint. But he was still standing there, strong and tall. It was obvious that even with her best effort, she couldn't make him do anything that he wasn't willing to do. Pulling back her hand, she went to slap him once more, because that's all she could think to do—but this time his hand was firm around her wrist, stopping her mid-action.

Their eyes met.

He could feel the abnormal pulse in her veins. He could hear her heart pounding through her chest. He could see her slowly breaking down. He could tell by the tenderness in her eyes that it wouldn't be long before she began crying. He could tell by her unsteady breaths, that she couldn't get enough air to satisfy her needs. He could tell by her tense muscles, that she wasn't willing to give up. He could tell that she wasn't willing to just give in.

But there it was.

_Beautiful agony._

Hermione fell into his chest and she began crying like she never had before. Draco put his right hand on her waist, to make sure she wouldn't fall just in case she did faint. His other hand was on her head, to comfort her. And then he just stood there and listen to her cries which were angry yet mournful. And he supposed she wept for the dead—because she really did adore Dumbledore. And he supposed she wept for her condition—because there were no signs of her getting any better. And he supposed she wept for the living—because soon there would be few. And he supposed she wept for her innocence—because that was the last thing that she had left to hold onto. And he took it from her. He took it, just like he took everything else.

* * *

"Things are going to change," Harry said to a group of friends. "Everything is going to change. I can't guarantee life to anyone. This is getting serious and there's so many things that I need to do."

"But we'll help you," Ginny interrupted him, "We're all in this together, Harry."

"Yes," Luna nodded in agreement, "We're all going to help."

"I don't want anyone fighting for me. I'll fight my own way, okay? I need you guys to keep each other safe, though."

"Harry, you know we're all going to fight. There's no way around it." George offered.

"George is right," Ron nodded, "We're all going to fight. Some of us are going to die. That's just something we'll have to accept."

"No one is dying…" Neville started, looking a bit nervous. But when all stares fell on him, he decided to change his mind, "…yet,"

"It's going to be okay, Harry," Fred assured him, "We'll figure out a way. Between your luck, Ron's…well, I don't know what Ron offers, but Hermione's intelligence, you'll be—"

"I'm not dragging her into this." Harry replied quickly.

"Harry, she's going to fight," Luna crossed her arms, "There's no way she's going to just stand by and watch the rest of us."

"I don't want her fighting…especially in the state she's in. If she gets too emotional, or stressed...she faints."

"That won't stop her," Ron explained.

"I refuse to ask her to fight this battle, you guys. She's already fighting her own." Harry said loudly.

"How exactly do you plan this to work out? Are you just going to lock her up?" Ginny asked stupidly, "Harry, I love you, but you know that nothing will work."

"I know exactly how I'm going to do it." Harry answered.

* * *

"Granger…I didn't mean to…"

"You didn't do anything, Draco. There's just been a lot on my mind right now and I'm not too sure…how to handle everything. I hate to sound weak, but I feel weak right now." She took a moment to shrug, "I don't want you to leave…"

"I know you don't. That's why I stayed."

"How exactly did you know that?" Hermione questioned, as she turned over to see him. They were both know lying in her bed comfortably.

"You get this look in your eyes…and I can't quite describe it…" He stared at her, "But it's like in that moment, your body is pushing and shoving me away and all…but your eyes are begging me to stay, and I just know that inside you're conflicted by your emotions. But I won't leave you…if you don't want me too, anyway."

"You're lying," She laughed as she shook her head.

"No, I'm not." He put his hand on her face, "Granger, I…"

"Hermione," Someone rushed into the door.

Immediately, the couple jumped up and scrambled to their feet.

"Oh—Ginny," Hermione put her hand on her chest and said a silent prayer.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could help me this weekend and go over some stuff for class. I just need help going over some of the example problems…to make sure that I'm doing it right, you know?" Ginny explained herself.

"Yeah, of course, Ginny," Hermione nodded, "I'd love to help."

"Right, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Draco looked down at Hermione. He hovered over her for a few minutes and then finally leaned in for a kiss. Before leaving the room, he said goodbye to Ginny.

* * *

"Mudblood," Pansy called on the following Friday afternoon. Hermione sharply pivoted to see the girl who had gotten the attention of a nearby crowd.

"I don't have time for this," Hermione said before turning away.

"Did I bloody ask you if you had time?" The girl grabbed Hermione by the wrist.

"Leave me alone, Parkinson!" Hermione shouted as she got out of the girl's grip.

"I'll show you—"

"Stop," Draco immediately appeared alongside Hermione.

"Draco," She laughed, "Let me ask you something…how did the meeting go with your father?"

"Meeting? Draco, you met with him? You didn't tell me that he ever came back…"

"Why don't you mind your own business and stay the Hell out of my life." Draco barked at the Slytherin.

"You didn't tell her yet?" Pansy became thrilled, "Go ahead, tell her Draco…tell her what you promised him,"

"You're ridiculous," Draco shook his head, "Come on, Granger,"

"What is she talking about?" Hermione demanded an answer.

"Let's just go, I'll explain later," Draco pulled Hermione away from the courtyard and back into the castle.

"Let go of me!" Hermione yanked herself away as they got into a small corridor. "Tell me what that was all about! When did he—why wouldn't you…"

"It was right before the dance and I didn't want to stress you out…" Draco explained.

"Well tell me now," Hermione crossed her arms and looked up at him. "Oh wait, don't tell me, you can't." She watched him in a defeated manner as he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Funny, how did I see this one coming?"

"I'm going to make you an offer." Draco crossed his arms as he leaned against the stone wall.

"Okay…" Hermione bit her lip as she listened to the proposition.

"I will tell you everything, if you promise to do one thing." Draco kept his gaze locked down on her.

"Alright, well…what is this one thing?" Hermione questioned.

"I can't…"

"Tell me?" She laughed, "You're absurd, you know that, don't you?"

"Please, Granger…just give me one thing and I will tell you everything." Draco looked down at her.

"F—fine," She rubbed her eyes slightly before letting him proceed.

"Alright, come here," He reeled her in and pulled up her shirt slightly to reveal her hipbone. He put the tip of his wand on her skin and repeated a spell that he had memorized recently. As he whispered on, an outline of a ferret started to appear on her skin. Hermione looked down at it and then back up at him, to realize that it was the symbol of his patronus, and he was putting an unbreakable vow on her. After the mark was imprinted, he pulled up his shirt and did the same. But on his skin there was an otter etched across. He looked back up at Hermione as if for reassurance that she was still okay.

"Yeah," Hermione said softly as she nodded.

"Granger, I told my father…that I couldn't…marry Pansy. I told him that I wouldn't. And he disowned me, but…but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still bound by this mark to serve a duty."

"I told you if you just let us protect you, nothing will harm you. I won't let anything happen to you," Hermione shook her head.

"Granger, I'm going to have to fulfill my duty as a death eater. There are things I will have to do against my will because of a promise I made a while back. I can't just erase this. I can't deny him what he wants. There's no way I can defeat him alone." Draco explained.

"Draco, please…" She whispered.

"I'm sorry. But I can't change my past, I can't change what I did." Draco blankly stated, "But all I know is that I'll have to fight on one side up until the war, but when it comes, I won't be on their side anymore."

"Okay," She shrugged, "I don't know what else I can do for you to understand…"

"Granger," He stopped her mid-sentence, "I told you everything that I can."

"No, no you didn't. You didn't explain to me about Dumbledore, or Snape, or that promise—" Hermione caught his eye.

"Voldemort assigned me…to kill him, Hermione. I didn't want to, but I had to. Snape took up the task though…and I really think he did it for me. He didn't want me to have to bear that, Granger. I don't believe he's truly on the Dark side…not really, anyway." Draco straightened his posture.

"Is that all you know?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Draco answered.

"What about the promise you made to your father? I thought you said he disowned you." Hermione bit her lip.

"I promised my father...that if Voldemort wins...I'd marry Pansy."

"You...you did what?" Hermione's voice started quavering. "Why would you ever, ever promise him something like that?"

"It was a difficult situation, Granger. I did what I had to do to get myself out of it. And I'm not fully out of it...but I'm pretty damn close to being free. I only made that promise because I know he truly believes that Voldemort will win." Draco explained.

"And what about you? Do you think...that Voldemort will win?" Hermione lowered her voice.

"No," Draco shook his head, "I can't let that happen." They shared a long moment of silence before they continued on.

"So um, what is it I have to do?" Hermione looked down at the ferret on her tan skin.

* * *

_Within this moment, everything from last weekend had played through his mind. He could remember Potter pulling him aside after class. Ginny was already walking away with Hermione at arm to help her study some of her homework. It was now that he realized that Ginny was just covering for her boyfriend. Following along the boy, he noticed the Weasley boys who were waiting in the hallway for him. Part of him felt like he was walking into some sort of intervention, which threatened him._

_"If you're all here to tell me that I need to break up with Granger, because it will be better for her—you're wasting your fucking breath." Draco stated before anyone else spoke._

_"Relax, that's not what we wanted to talk to you about," Harry assured him._

_"We didn't want to talk to you at all, actually," Fred snorted under his breath._

_"Wonderful, the feelings mutual," Draco sneered over at the twins._

_"Harry, I don't know about this," George began acting like he was backing out on a serious decision._

_"We have to do this, and you all need to support me in this," Harry gave the boys a genuine glance. "Draco, we need you to do us a favor."_

_"Oh…really?" He became a bit interested. Potter—the chosen one, needing his help?_

_"When the War comes…we need you to…take Hermione and keep her somewhere safe." Harry finally broke the silence. "I don't want her anywhere near here when the War happens and I'm sure you feel the same. So not only for your sake, but for all of our sakes, including hers, keep her as far away from here as possible. I don't think she should be fighting in her condition. She's too…fragile."_

_"I agree," Draco was surprised that he would ever say those words to Potter. They were all so different, but they all shared one common characteristic. Hermione. And they all wanted to keep her safe and out of harm's way._

_"So will you take her…away from all of this when I tell you?" Harry looked at Draco in the most sincere way he ever had._

_"Yes, I will try, but it won't be easy. She's not going to willingly leave any of you." Draco offered._

_"I need more than a 'I'll try', Draco. I need you to tell me you can do it. I don't care at what length you need to go to. I'm sure you can make some deal with her—some bet—something for bloody goodness, that will keep her away from here." Ron suddenly emerged from his silence._

_"I..." Draco began to take a step back._

_"Listen, I don't care anymore about this whole relationship issue. Your relationship is so small and immaculate compared to what is to come. And I care about keeping her safe, Draco. I'm sure you feel the same way. Just—just take care of her okay? I couldn't...so you better be able to, you—you idiot," Ron sighed as he began walking away to blow off some steam._

_"Do we need to make some sort of deal or offer to—" Harry started speaking again.  
_

_"I'll do it." Draco simply told the group. "I want to keep her away from War, you all want that too, it's only reasonable that I should be the one to do it. I promise I'll keep her safe."  
_

_"Okay," The group seemed uneasy about just taking his word for it, but they did it anyway. They weren't in a position where they could be picky and choosey over deals that were made. This was War, and danger was inevitable. _

* * *

"Draco," Hermione called out and brought him back to the present. "What do I have to do?"

"You can't fight…in the War." Draco blankly stated.

"What?" Hermione scoffed, "Draco, you're insane. You know I wouldn't possibly agree to that! I have a job, I have friends who need me—"

"They don't want you there, Hermione," Draco quickly said.

"They want me there—they need me there." Hermione shook her head.

"No, they don't." Draco pulled Hermione closer.

"Draco, please, you can't possibly take this away from me,"

"But you agreed to this. You agreed I could have one thing, so please, for me Hermione…"

"Don't take this away from me." She barely made out.

"I'm not sorry," He looked at her sincerely.

"I won't forgive you for this."

"I know," He nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Human Being

A few months passed by rather quickly. Hermione spent a lot of her time in the library trying to find answers to impossible questions. She was constantly going out of her way to find out any information that could somehow help Harry. But even after restless nights of unending searching, Hermione found no answers that put Harry's mind at ease. There was simply not much else that anyone could do to help him out. Hermione was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to fight in the War. It bothered her immensely, but it put her mind at ease that now she would be able to understand exactly what Draco was going through. They still had a lot of issues to work out, but things were going far better than she anticipated.

Hermione reached across her nightstand to check the time. It was just past midnight and her headache was refusing to ease up. Climbing out of bed and reaching for her wand, Hermione let out a deep breath. She really didn't like using magic lately because the concentration was sometimes a bit too much for her when she was weak. Pointing her wand at herself, she casted a small spell which would help her fall asleep. Crawling back under her blankets, she closed her weary eyes.

"Hermione," Harry nudged her awake.

"Wh—what?" She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.

"Hermione, Ron and I are leaving. We're setting out to find the horcruxes."

"N—no, wait, I'm not ready, I don't have all my things," She shot up out of her bed and went running around trying to pack her bag.

"You're not coming with us," Ron stopped her.

"You guys…I—I can't fight in the War, but please let me do this…"

"So what happens if we're out and all of a sudden you collapse? We don't have the proper equipment and—" Harry started.

"I won't collapse, or faint, I've been doing so much better. I'm going to be fine, we'll all be okay, I just need to go with you. You have to take me, I've been trying so hard to prove it to you." She tried.

"We can't do this," Harry disagreed, "It will only be worse on you."

"D—don't leave me," She pleaded with her friends, "Don't leave me behind. I can't protect you, I can't help you if I'm not there with you…and it's bad enough I won't be there at the end so just…give me this, please, I'm begging you—both of you," She glanced over at Ron as if he would somehow help her out, but to her surprise, he was also against the idea.

"You'll only slow us down." Ron stated coldly.

Hermione drew in a harsh breath, and took a moment to let that sink in. She knew that this was a true fact, but it was the way that he said it that hurt her the most. He was so sudden and direct about it. Her eyes fell to the ground as her bottom lip began to quiver. But she didn't want to go through this again, she was sick of feeling helpless and hurting. So she simply nodded at the two and took a step backwards.

"You're right," She looked at Ron solely for a moment, "I will. So you two go, and be careful…and…good luck, I guess."

"Come here," Harry wrapped his arms around the girl and held her closely. He understood how hard this was for her, but he honestly felt like this was what was best for her. Ron quickly did the same and then started heading out of the room. Harry took a few moments longer as he looked over Ginny who was sleeping soundly. He walked alongside her bed and bent down to her. Giving her a small kiss on the forehead, he kept his gaze away from Hermione and then left the dormitory completely.

Hermione looked out the tall, glass window and waited as if something would happen. But as minutes passed by, she realized that this was it. That could have been the last time she saw them. Sitting back on her bed, she felt memories swarming her brain as a few tears came to her eyes. Eventually, she gave way to sleep.

Harry and Ron made their way out to the castle stairway, where they found Draco lurking nearby. Harry and Ron made their way over to the boy. Harry was sure to keep his voice low and distinguished.

"Now," Draco and Harry's eyes met for a long moment. Draco nodded his head and then paced down the hall away from the two. Harry watched the figure of the boy disappear and then him and Ron started out.

* * *

When Hermione opened her eyes, she wasn't in the dormitory. She wasn't even in her bed at home. Pushing herself upwards, she reached out for wand that was normally at her bedside, but it wasn't there. Jumping out of the bed, she got to her feet and studied her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar at all to her. Walking around quietly, she wondered if something had happened last night that she didn't remember. At this point, she half thought that someone had captured her.

Looking around at the room more carefully, she noticed it was designed in a very dark, yet sleek way. She continued to study her surroundings as she paced back and forth. There was a window to the far side of the room, where she opened up the blinds to get a view of outside. She couldn't tell exactly where she was because the window faced the back of the building she was in and there was only a forest to be seen. Hearing footsteps coming up from down the hall, Hermione's heart began to race. Looking around for something that could help her, she felt helpless.

The door creaked open and there were more footsteps to be heard. This time they continuously got closer. The figure was on the other side of a dresser, so Hermione couldn't get a good glimpse of the person. Trying to breathe as quietly as possible, she gripped tighter on the small, glass lamp she was held in her shaking hands. The footsteps got louder and more distinct, as the figure neared her side of the room. Hermione said a last prayer before shoving herself out from the left side of the dresser and bringing up the lamp to the man's face. But it was stopped as the person blocked her poor attack. Her eyes grew wide and she felt panicked, but as she looked over at the face of this person, she began laughing uncontrollably.

"Bloody Hell, Granger," Draco laughed as she took the lamp from her and placed it back on the dresser.

"I was scared," She was in a laughing fit still.

"This is the second time I've caught you attempting to protect yourself, and both times you did a very poor job of it." Draco gave a long glance to the girl in front of him who still couldn't control her laughing.

"Attempting?" She scoffed as she moved closer towards him. Her laughter was finally dying down.

"How are you feeling?" He wondered.

"I'm okay," She shrugged.

"You're hair's been growing a lot lately," He noticed aloud and he ran his hand throw the short hair that had grown out a few inches over the past months.

"Yeah, it's a good sign at least," She smiled. "I want it to be long again,"

"It will be," Draco assured her. "One day,"

"Wait—Draco, where are we?" Hermione looked around the room again. How could he distract her so bloody easily?

"A safehouse," Draco explained.

"Why are we at a safehouse?" Hermione asked, "The War hasn't started, has it?" Her eyes began to slowly widen.

"Draco! Where did you put the—" Blaise entered the doorway and then stopped.

"There's other people here?" Hermione moved towards the door, "Who's all here?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize," Blaise apologized before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

"There's ten of us," Draco started.

"Ten?" Hermione questioned loudly, "Draco, why did you bring me here?"

"Okay, listen, I promised your friends that whenever they told me to do so, I would take you somewhere safe. Potter felt that I needed to take you away now. So I did."

"You're kidding me, right?" She crossed her arms, "Draco, take me back!"

"I can't do that," He shook his head.

"Draco…I should be there helping people at school at least…until the War comes."

"No, you should be _here_." Draco told her as he leaned in and kissed her.

"W—wait," She laughed as she pulled herself out of a kiss, "Why are there other people here?"

"Because I'm not the only one who's changed my ways, Granger. There's quite a few of us, actually." Draco explained, "Come on, you can meet some new people."

Hermione got dressed before Draco hurriedly led her out of the room and down a long hall which had many rooms linked from it. He pulled her along down the stairs to a big open space where eight others were lounging around.

"Guys, this is Granger," Draco said to the group. Hermione felt the eyes falling on her and she became uncomfortable with the situation. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Hi, I'm Layla," A girl stood up and shook Hermione's hand.

"Hi," She softly replied.

Hermione took this moment to take in Layla's appearance. She was a very pale, tall girl. Her hair ran down her back so long that Hermione felt envious, though she was envious of most girl's hair during this time. But it was healthy and thick, yet it wasn't bushy the way Hermione's always seemed to get if she didn't use the right treatments. Layla was a few inches taller than Hermione, making her feel a bit feeble and short compared to the rest of the crowd. The girl standing before Hermione had a certain way of carrying herself. It displayed confidence, yet it wasn't a stubborn, pig headed gait as most Slytherin girl's seem to have. Her emerald eyes brightened up her auburn hair color which had a dust-like tint to it. Though Hermione felt inferior to this girl for every reason possible, she didn't feel threatened by her. Layla was obviously a kind person who had changed her mind about things long ago. It was clear that her personality was one that she was accustomed too, and not quickly transferred to the way that Theo's personality had always seemed.

"So this is the gang. That's Adrian over there to the left, Brendon's on the couch with Daren next to him. Duncan is by the fire place and that's Keegan in the corner." Layla explained, "And I'm sure you already know Blaise and Theo."

"Yes, I believe I do," Hermione nodded as she looked around at the group. "So you've all…um, changed your minds about...things?" These words uncomfortably slipped off of her tongue.

"Yeah," Layla smiled, "We've all changed quite a bit and we have to admit, a lot of it had to do with Draco."

"T—that's wonderful," These words surprised Hermione. She had no idea that there were other Slytherins who had changed. The crazy part was that Draco had known about this and never once mentioned a thing to her.

"It was nice to meet you all." Hermione turned over to Draco, "I'm going to go take a shower now."

"Alright, there's a bathroom attached to our room," Draco explained as she walked away. That's when it hit her, it was _their_ room. They'd be sharing it for the rest of her time there (for however long that would be, anyway), and though she loved the idea of it, it scared her.

"I like her," Layla said when Hermione left the room.

"She's shy," Keegan said from across the room.

"Yeah," Draco nodded. "So what do you all want for breakfast? I don't know how to make much, but I can do my best," He made his way over to the kitchen.

* * *

"They left," Ginny whispered to the group who was eating breakfast.

"We knew they were going to," Fred looked down at his younger sister who was obviously dealing with some heartache.

"I know, I know…it's just…it's all sinking in, you know? I can't save him," Her eyes darted up to her brothers. "I can't save either of them, and I'm not there to know what's going on, and Hermione and Draco are off somewhere—who bloody knows if they're even okay."

"You're worrying about nothing," Neville put a reassuring hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Harry and Ron know what they're doing. And Draco has his ways, I'm sure they are both completely safe, somewhere far away from here."

"But what—what if he really isn't good? You were all so quick to make a deal with him, what if he took her to the Malfoy Mansion? What if he's just been using her all this time and—"

"Draco is a good person, Ginny." Luna was passing through when she heard the group talking. She grabbed her plate from the Hufflepuff table and sat down alongside her friends. "I know he has a lot of good in him. He wouldn't hurt her."

"You don't know that, Luna! You don't know anything for certain!" Ginny cried, "You act like you just know everyone so bloody well, and—and you don't, okay? You don't know if he's a good person or an evil person, you don't know that! So stop telling everyone that he's such a great guy, how would you know? It's not like you two were friends or shared some special bond that no one else could possibly understand—but that's how you make it sound! You make it sound like you just know everything, don't you?"

"Ginny—" George started.

"No!" She hollered, "I'm so sick of everyone making decisions for me and where I stand and how I feel about every little thing! This is not okay! Harry and Ron are probably lost somewhere out there and we all know they won't last long without Hermione guiding them—but guess what, she's not with them! So they'll probably die! And we are just expected to stay here and wait it out? What are we doing by just staying here? Huh? Nothing—absolutely nothing!"

"Calm down…" Fred sighed, getting irritated at his sister's dramatic exclamations.

"No! I will not! This is not okay! And I'm sick of you Luna, telling me how I am and how I am not supposed to feel about people. And you two—my so called brothers, I'm sick of you two judging me on my opinions, I have a right to them, you know! I don't need you both constantly breathing down my neck telling me what to do and how to do it! And Neville—you…just grow a backbone already!" Ginny stood up from the table, "I can't do this anymore, I didn't sign up for this."

The red head stormed down the Great Hall and then disappeared. The remaining of the group all sat silently, looking down at their food which none of them could bear to finish. Neville looked across the table to see George and Fred giving each other glances. It was as if even in silence, they could understand one another. Turning back to see Luna, he was shocked to find that she had tears forming in her eyes. He had never seen Luna cry before, but it tore him up inside. He put his arm around her and tried to calm her down. But the closer he got to her, the louder her crying got. Neville looked back over to Fred and George who were now climbing over the table to make sure she was alright.

Luna was always the strange, odd one of the group. Everyone knew who she was because she always seemed to stick out in the crowd. It wasn't just the way that she dressed or the way that she hummed while skipping down the halls. It was more of how she presented herself, the airy breaths she took when she talked to you, the stares that were beautifully original and her uncanny way of finding beauty in the most tragic of things. Everything that made Luna who she was, was simply stored in her personality that acted as a coat of armor. She always seemed invincible, unbreakable because through the hardest of times she kept a smile on her face. Though she bore hauntings of the past she somehow found the hopefulness of the future. And she longed for peace and happiness which miraculously surrounded her wherever she went. She was able to leave an impression on everyone—and literally everyone. Her wisdom for her age simply flabbergasted many including professors, friends, and even enemies. So when Luna, someone so significant and elegantly strong was forced into tears, it seemed like there was practically no hope. Because after all, Luna represented hope, beautiful, courageous hope.

* * *

"So how did the two of you fall in love?" Layla asked Hermione one early morning. They were the only two up and they were cooking breakfast. Layla was propped up on the counter, watching Hermione as she tried to scramble eggs.

"It's kind of complicated," Hermione answered as she brushed her short hair that was now turning into a bob, behind her ear. "I guess, it just sort of happened and the stars aligned."

"It's beautiful, you know…it's kind of like some modern fairy tale. Two opposites falling madly in love with each other…"

"I don't know about madly," Hermione couldn't contain the laughter that came from inside.

"Oh come on, we can all see it. He practically worships the ground you walk on." Layla stretched out her arms, "I just wish that I could find someone who even cared about me in general."

"I care about you," Hermione's head turned to the girl, "I consider you a…new friend."

"Well, thank you. But I was particularly talking about my love life," Layla sighed, "Hermione, why don't you just use your wand to cook? It's so much easier and faster."

"I don't always like using magic," Hermione shrugged, "And plus, I think it's a good idea that we all start reducing how much magic we use. I'm afraid that it will attract attention."

"I couldn't live a day without magic," Layla sighed loudly, "I wish all of this could just be over."

"I do too," Hermione nodded.

"So um, not to be personal…but I thought I overheard some of the guys talking last night and…I was just wondering if it was true…" Layla paused for a moment, half hoping that Hermione would finish her sentence. But Hermione continued to cook silently. "Do you really have cancer?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, "I've had it for months, I actually have an appointment next weekend, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it to it."

"That's…crazy," Layla wasn't sure what else she should say. "I'm sorry to hear about that…"

"Don't be," Hermione smiled at her, "I've been doing really good lately, compared to normal, anyway. I think that it's going away."

"Can it do that?" Layla's eyes slightly widened, "Can cancer just...go away?"

Hermione looked over at the girl and stared at her. It was as if Hermione wanted to answer, but couldn't. "What's meant to be will happen."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Layla assured her.

"Who will be fine?" Draco lazily walked into the room, still half asleep.

"Nothing," Hermione grabbed a plate from the cupboard and handed it over to him, "So hey, you never answered my question about where we are. This is a really nice place, I've just been wondering how you guys got ahold of it."

"Snape gave it to us." Layla answered before Draco could.

"Is that true?" Hermione's head tilted to see her boyfriend who still had major bedhead.

"Yeah, he wanted us to get out of all the bad things we were into as soon as possible. I met these people through Snape. We are all very different, but we all…have one thing in common. We were dealt the wrong hand and no one else would hear us out or give us a chance. But Snape is a good man and he did all of this for us." Draco clearified.

"Then why did you tell me that you weren't really sure whether Snape was on our side or not? You were so indecisive,"

"I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he killed Dumbledore, okay? I couldn't possibly understand why he would kill someone who was honestly on his side. It didn't line up, and I didn't want you trusting him, Granger, I was afraid…"

"You were afraid of what?" Hermione interrupted him, looking more hurt than angry.

"I was afraid that he would do something bad when he found out about us." Draco sighed as he took a seat at the counter. "I was afraid that he would tell Voldemort."

"Well, I think we made our relationship very much public, Draco. I'm sure there isn't many witches or wizards at the school who doesn't know about our relationship. It was kind of a drastic change, don't you think? But it wouldn't matter if he knew anyway, Draco. Honestly, I don't think he would even care."

"You're a mudblood," Layla blurted, "I'm sorry—bad habit, I mean…you're not a pureblood, and when the Dark Lord finds out that we have all been—"

"Layla," Draco barked.

"I'm sorry, I should go, I need to wake up Keegan and the others," She scurried out of the room.

Hermione stared wildly at Draco.

"What was she going to say?" Hermione turned off the stove.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Draco shook his head.

"Damn it, Draco! I took this stupid unbreakable vow for you, bloody tell me what's going on! I can't stand all these stupid secrets that you keep hiding from me! You want to know why I have a hard time trusting you? Because you barely tell me anything, Draco! And when you do it's so vague and then you change your mind later on down the road and tell me something completely different! It's hard to trust you because you're not completely honest with me, let alone yourself, and I need that from you, Draco! I need your honesty! I am honest with you about everything, every little thing, and I can't stand…I can't stand fighting so hard…I don't have it in me, anymore Draco. I can't keep fighting like this." She put her hand on her forehead and her knees began to shake.

"Granger," Draco caught her in his arms and took her back up to their bedroom. He went to the drawer where he kept a stack of medicine. As he pulled out a needle, he remembered the night that he stole a few packages of it from the Hospital Wing. He had to make sure that if push comes to shove, Hermione would have the medicine she needed. Draco carefully injected her with medicine that put her body at complete rest.

* * *

"Harry, I think we made a mistake." Ron sighed as he finished setting up the camp site.

"Why's that?"

"We can't do this without Hermione. She's helpful and she's knows more about everything than we do…and I…I just think that we need her." Ron sat down in front of a fire that Harry had made.

"I know, I feel like that too. But we did the right thing, you know? She'll be safer with Draco. He's going to take care of her and I know that it hurts to think about it that way, but…she's better off with him right now." Harry watched his friend carefully. "He has everything that she needs and he knows everything there is to know about her medical condition, and the hospital she goes to, he knows…everything that we don't."

"Some nights I can't sleep." Ron watched the flames, "Because I can't forgive myself that for so long…we didn't pick up that there was anything wrong with her. She had cancer for Merlin's sake, and we had no idea. I was so wrapped up in myself and what was going on. And then I was so wrapped up in the idea of being in a relationship with her that I didn't even get to enjoy the short time that we had. And I suffocated her, Harry, I bloody sucked the life out of her. I didn't give her any room or space to breathe, and she could have died and we wouldn't have known why or how it happened. I mean…what does that say about us?"

"It says that we were just too consumed with our own problems. It doesn't mean that we aren't good friends, it just means that we weren't being the best of friends. We should have been there for her, we should have known. But we didn't and that's in the past now. We have the future to worry about. We have the present to worry about. We can't change the past, Ron, so we can't dwell on it for the rest of our lives. Just because we weren't being good friends back then, doesn't meant that we won't be even better friends in the future. We will be better, because we know how it feels now to be…worse." Harry met the eyes of his friend's.

"I don't _feel_ like a good friend." Ron sighed.

"But you're being one," Harry stated, "By telling Draco what you did back there, you know, about keeping her safe? That isn't something that was easy for you, and only a true friend would have done something like that. It shows how much you care about her."

"It just...sucks,"

"I know, but, you need to forgive yourself. We both need to forgive ourselves, because feeling sorry all the time isn't going to resolve anything. Not forgiving ourselves isn't going to kill off Voldemort, it's not going to end any of this, and it's certainly not going to magically cure Hermione's cancer. So we have to forgive ourselves, come to peace, and move on. That's what Hermione needs from us right now. She needs us to be strong, and win this and overcome the past. I promise you that that's what she'd want. And that's what she would be telling us right about now." Harry looked up at the night sky. The boys sat in silence for about another hour.

"Alright, well I'm going to call it a night," Ron suddenly stood up and went inside the tent.

"I'll be up for a while," Harry called after his friend.

* * *

Hermione woke up to the sounds of chatter amongst teenagers. Pushing herself up and out from the bed, she made her way to the bathroom, where she splashed water in her face. Feeling a restriction in her throat, Hermione began coughing. This coughing turned into a very wheezy sound and she was having a hard time getting air. She began gagging as she made her way over to the toilet, where she continued to cough and then proceeded to throw up. Apparently she was loud enough to get Draco's attention. He rushed into the bathroom, shut the door behind him and kneeled down to her. He put his hand on her back, but she tried to push him away.

"Leave!" She cried, "Please, get out!"

"Granger, I'm not going anywhere," Draco said.

"Please!" She looked over at him, with tears in her eyes, "I don't want you to see my like this, just…please leave."

And after a moment of serious debate, he decided that he would wait outside the door. It bothered him that she was uncomfortable with having him in there. But at the same time understood that she wanted her privacy. The thing that got him the most was that he figured she just didn't want him to have to see her in that condition, but it made it harder on him when he couldn't see her. He was going to be a Healer after all, it's not as though he was wigged out by these kind of things. As the noise quieted down, he heard the sink begin to run and he knew that she was done at least for now. The door slightly opened and she slipped out.

"Are you okay?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah," She pushed her hair back, "Just peachy,"

"I'm going to reschedule your appointment. You've been getting worse and maybe there is a higher dose that they can give you." Draco pulled out a card that had Hermione's appointment information on it.

"Draco, it doesn't matter if you change the date or not," Hermione whispered.

"No, I am going to, Hermione. This is…this isn't good."

"I know, but what are they going to do? Huh? Are they going to just keep increasing the dosage every time my body gets used to the amount of medication? I'll end up dead anyway," She shook her head with a laugh of disbelief, "Draco, I don't want any more medication, I really just…can't take it anymore. My body can't, my mind can't…"

"Well, you have to have something," Draco insisted.

"Go ahead, schedule my appointment sooner," She felt like she had no control over anything anway. "We can talk to the doctor and see if there is any alternative option."

"Yeah, and the alternative is dying, Granger. You can't die!"

"I'm a human being, every human being can die," Hermione shook her head.

"You don't get it, do you?" Draco hollered, "This isn't just about you anymore, Granger! This is about us, this is about me too, I should have a say, because you're mine, you're mine and I love you and you have to be here for me, because I'm nothing without you! I have absolutely nothing to live for but you, and if you're not alive, I have no reason to live. So you will get medication and you will get better, okay?"

Hermione stared at him silently. Reaching out towards him, she tried to soothe him. But he pulled away from her instead and walked to the other side of the room. He was trying to calm down, he needed to get his head straight. There was just too much going on and nothing was working out for him. He held his face in his hands as he sat down on the bed. Letting out a sigh, she leaned over him. Hermione's small hands took up his face and brought his eyes to hers. Hermione began softly kissing him as if the action would take the pain away. And to an extent, it did. It made him forget about the war, and about her condition, it made him forget about every negative thing in his life. But when the kissing was over, when she finally stopped, absolutely nothing had changed.

_Nothing had changed. _


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Waiting Game

Hermione turned to her side while lying in bed. She felt Draco's hands tighten around her waist as he brought her closer. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw his gaze upon her. Leaning over her, he kissed her lips. Hermione laughed at this as she went to get up. But he pulled her back down to him. When she tried to get up again, he pulled her backwards again and then began tickling her. Laughing uncontrollably, Hermione fell onto her back and watched as Draco got atop of her. His kisses fell from her lips down to her neck. Pushing his head up, Hermione stared at him for a moment. They hadn't slept together since the night at Hogwarts, and she wondered if he was expecting more from her. But she wasn't ready for their relationship to be so physical. She wasn't ready for this part of their relationship to be some sort of priority or major concern.

"What's wrong?" He put his hand on her face.

"N—nothing," She sat up in bed, "I'm fine."

"Granger," He sighed, "What's going on with you? You keep acting so…distant."

"I know, I'm sorry…it's just been complicated. Some days I'm fine but others...I can't stop throwing up and I feel so tired and drained. A piece of my hair fell out yesterday…it wasn't a super huge bulk of it…but it was quite a bit." Hermione put her head in her hands.

"Well, I rescheduled your appointment for tomorrow. So we're just going to have to stick it out, okay?" He ran his hand through her hair and felt the small patch underneath that she had been talking about.

"I don't want to think about this," Hermione whispered.

"Then don't…" Draco replied as he moved closer to her. He kissed her for a few long moments as he wrapped his arms around her. Draco went to push Hermione back down, but a sudden knock on the door interrupted them. Though Hermione tried not to show it, she was happy that this happened. She didn't exactly know how to tell Draco no, so the interruptions worked out well for her.

* * *

Ginny grabbed her suitcase and began packing. She wasn't going to just sit around and wait for fate to happen. Instead, she was going to take matters into her own hands. So she packed away all of her necessities and headed out. Feeling unsure about where she should look first, Ginny tried to remember the conversation that her and Harry had a few nights prior to their leaving.

_"Where will you even go?" Ginny looked across the room to find Harry standing uncomfortably._

_"We have a lot of places we need to go. I'm honestly not too sure where to start. But it will probably be Gringott's or…" He trailed off and Ginny stopped paying attention. Her gaze had shifted over to a nearby window. Her heart was dropping in a way she couldn't quite understand. _

She knew when she first met Harry that she would end up falling for him. Though she didn't know how he would feel about her in return, she knew that there would always be something that drew them close together. It wasn't until just a year ago that the two had made their feelings really known. It seemed as though as soon as everything started falling into place, it all began tearing apart. There were a lot of things that Ginny didn't know about life or her feelings towards others. But one thing that she knew for sure was that she loved Harry. It didn't matter the cost, she would fight for him, she would be by his side always. She had to be with him, whether or not that's what he wanted as well. Looking around the empty courtyard, Ginny pushed on and began her search.

* * *

Layla sat on the couch alongside Keegan who had fallen back asleep. When she saw Hermione coming into the room, she stood up. Hermione noticed how eager the girl was to talk with her, which somewhat frightened her. Draco was in the shower and the rest of the group were still in their rooms. As Layla pulled Hermione into empty room, she shut the door to secure their privacy.

"You're starting to scare me…is everything alright?" Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, I just…I want to go with you, to your appointment." Layla stated suddenly.

"Oh…okay, well…alright," Hermione was shocked.

"I want to be there for you," Layla explained, "I know it's probably stupid, but it's just…I never really had a friend before, especially not a female friend. And it's just…nice, you know? And I feel like I should be there for you."

"Well, thank you." Hermione nodded with a smile, "That's…sweet of you."

"Granger?" Draco came down the stairs.

"We should probably get out there," Hermione laughed as she made her way back to the living room. She felt it was odd that Layla couldn't have just asked her this question in the living room, especially since Keegan was sleeping. But she didn't pay any further attention to it. There were other things for her to worry about.

"Granger, your doctor called when I was in the shower. I called him back and he said that he had a cancellation and if it would be better for us, we could go today." Draco was still on the phone with the doctor, "Are you feeling up to it?"

"Uh, yeah," Hermione meekly said.

Hermione was trying to feel happy about the fact that both Draco and Layla would be there to support her. But she had to admit that it was a bit odd for her. She wasn't used to having people constantly with her, well, besides Draco anyway (but she had to admit, even that was still new to her). The only reason why she told Layla she could come with her was because she would feel bad if she said no, especially after the friend speech she gave. But she realized that this was something she would have to learn to accept. She watched Draco thank the doctor before hanging up the phone and then handing it to Hermione. Looking down at it, she remembered the day that she first taught Draco how to use it. It wasn't as if he hadn't used one before, but being that he lived in a very prestige, pureblood family, the opportunity was scarce. Draco leaned over the counter and kissed Hermione's forehead before going to get some floo powder. Hermione felt Layla nudge her forward and towards the fireplace where Draco suddenly appeared.

* * *

Ron woke up to the sound of leaves crunching under someone's feet. He looked over to find Harry still asleep. Reaching for his wand, he quickly got up and nudged Harry awake. The two made their way to the outside of the tent to find a group of snatchers waiting for them. It was still very early and the sun was just beginning to come out. It was two against four and they were clearly not winning. Harry fell back down to the ground again and hit his head against a large rock. Ron got a glimpse of his friend who was knocked out before he lifted his wand to another snatcher. Continuing to fight, there seemed to be a few more snatchers than there was originally. In fact, looking around, Ron counted at least six of them. It didn't take long for Ron to fall to his knees in defeat. There was just too many of them and he couldn't possibly fight them off all on his own. Plus, one of the snatchers gave him a harsh blow to the leg, which made it nearly impossible for him to stand.

When Harry opened his eyes he felt a sharp pain through his head. As he reached up to the wound, he felt the blood on his hands. He got to his feet but when he went to walk, he noticed that his ankle was chained down. Looking around the room, he saw Ron who was across the dark place. He called out to his friend and woke him up. Ron tried to stand to his feet, but couldn't. This wasn't because he was chained down on that leg, but because there was a long cut along his leg. He felt sick and dizzy as he looked back up over to Harry.

"It's okay," Harry said, "We'll…we'll get help, we'll figure something out."

Ron and Harry's head both turned to see a tall, lean man entering the room. A smile slowly appeared on his face as he stood up straight. There were three other figures who appeared, but they were house elves who were tending to the boys' wounds. A small house elf made his way over to Ron where he began stitching up his wound without properly medicating him to numb the pain. As Ron screamed out in pain, he felt the needle being jammed in and out of his flesh.

"Don't worry," The man began walking out of the darkness and close enough for the boys to clearly see them, "We want you alive…for now."

"Lucius," Harry recognized the man.

"Potter, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" He laughed, "Think of all the lives you saved, today. We have you now, he will be satisfied and everyone else will be forced to join our side. Without you, there is no more hope for those stupid, little, mudblood loving…"

"You do realize that your son is a mudblood lover?" Harry looked up at Lucius sternly.

Lucius walked over and grabbed Harry's face roughly. He forced the boy to look up at him. But Harry wasn't afraid of him, he didn't even flinch at Lucius' aggressive movements.

"Careful, Potter," Lucius smiled down at the boy as his hand slipped down to Harry's neck and gripped harshly, "I'd hate for you to say things you regret."

"I'm not scared of you," Harry breathed outwards harshly, "You're a coward, and even if I die here…it doesn't matter. I'll have died for a reason, and when you die…it won't even matter. My death will only inspire everyone else to keep fighting. Tell me, Lucius, what would your death do? Would it encourage your pathetic army of cowards to keep fighting?"

Lucius brought back his black cane and struck down on Harry's shoulder. Though Harry was in much pain from this blow, he didn't give up. He simply sat there, staring up at the man as if he was unmoved and unharmed by the circumstance. Ron's screams were still echoing in the dark room as the elf finished up the stitching. Lucius turned over to the elf that was now bandaging up Harry's head.

"That's quite enough!" Lucius barked as he hit the elf with his cane. The elf coward away and quickly left along with the others.

Harry and Ron stared at each other for a long moment. There was nothing to really be said. They weren't entirely prepared and this was the consequence. The two tried to make plans in their heads but it seemed hopeless. Even if they could get out of this dark room, there was no guarantee that they would be able to make it out of the building they were in. So they remained quiet as they waited for something else to happen.

* * *

Hermione sat in between Draco and Layla in the waiting room. Draco's hand was wrapped tightly around hers. When a nurse opened up the wooden door and called her name, Hermione stood up. Layla quickly rose to her feet and hugged the girl. She whispered to her that everything would be perfectly fine. Hermione nodded at her hopefully and then turned over to Draco who was waiting for her next to the nurse. Approaching him, Hermione felt her hands shaking. Before following the nurse into an examination room, she kissed Draco and then asked him he would stay out in the waiting room this time. The question hurt Draco more than Hermione would know. But he simply agreed to this and respected her wishes. So after watching Hermione disappear with the nurse, he sat back down next to Layla who immediately put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

As Hermione passed by some of the rooms, she saw a few patients in their examination rooms. She noticed a few girls who were crying. Obviously, they had received bad news. Continuing further, she saw a man who was hunched over a chair. She couldn't hear him crying, but she saw his shoulders heaving up and down. Moving on through the next hall, she found a few families all cramped up in a small room, hugging each other and celebrating the good news they had gotten. Then there were the nervous, anxious patients who were still awaiting their visit from a doctor. Stepping foot into an empty room, Hermione now found herself becoming one of those patients who was anticipating important news.

"She's going to be okay," Layla's voice soothed Draco. "I know she will. She has to be, Hermione is strong."

"Yeah," Draco looked over to see the girl that he was beginning to see as a friend.

"Draco, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…while we're alone." Layla stated as she searched him out.

Draco rubbed his forehead and then looked back over to her. "Okay, go ahead."

"I can't thank you enough," She began, "For everything…"

"I didn't do anything,"

"You saved my life." Layla abruptly told him, "I would be dead if it wasn't for you. That night you came into the dungeon..." Her mind traveled back to the day that they had met.

_"What are you doing?" Draco coldly asked as he walked into an old, empty room in the castle._

_"I—I, nothing," She turned around quickly, hiding something behind her back.  
_

_"For a Slytherin, you're not a good liar." Draco walked closer to her. "What are you doing with that?"_

_"With what?" She dumbly asked. When she went to shove the object into her bag, he quickly moved beside her. Giving up, she let the rope slip through her hand and into his. He looked down at it with a dark glance. At one end it was twisted into a knot to form a tight circle. Draco's eyes lifted from the object to the girl in front of him who was now crying and looking ashamed. Draco pulled a pocket knife from his pocket and cut off the loop, making it impossible for her to ever use the weapon for its intended purpose. When his eyes met hers again, she looked less frightened and more ashamed._

_"Why would you want to end your life?" He wondered aloud._

_"Why would you want to continue to live?" She managed to get out with a short breath._

_The two remained quiet for a few moments._

_"You're still so young," Draco informed her._

_"We're the same age, Draco. And you're in the same boat I am in, so…how do you keep doing this? How are you continuing to see that Gryffindor girl when you have the mark too?" She watched his eyes carefully._

_"That's not a promise you have to keep," Draco looked down at her arm which had also been marked._

_"Then save me," She whispered, "I don't want this, I don't want any of this…"_

"It wasn't anything," Draco said, "You have a good heart, you deserved to get out of the mess you were in."

"So do you," Layla was quick to reply, "You have a very good heart, Draco."

"You don't know me that well…" Draco shook his head, "I have too much of my mother's pride and my father's lack of courage."

"You may be prideful, but you put that aside for Hermione, you know. And maybe you're not the most courageous person in the world…but, I think it was pretty damn brave of you to fall in love with her and never leave her side. By nature, you can be a lot of things, but there's always one person in this world that can bring out the very best of you." Layla smiled at him softly. "Everything will work itself out eventually because the two of you are meant to be."

* * *

"She's gone," Lavender told Luna as she came down the stairs.

"Are you absolutely positive?" Luna questioned the girl.

"Yes, all of her things are missing." Lavender glanced over to Fred, George and Neville who were standing nearby.

"Alright, well, thank you," Neville whispered.

"What the bloody Hell is going on?" Lavender exclaimed, "Harry and Ron are gone, Draco and Hermione, even Blaise is missing, and now Ginny? I overheard some Slytherin's talking and apparently they aren't the only ones that are gone. Is something going on that I should be worried about?"

"No," Fred assured her, "No, I'm sure Blaise is with Draco and Hermione which means he's just fine."

"He never told me he was leaving," Lavender let out a heavy breath, "He never mentioned anything to me…"

"I'm sure he only kept it a secret because he wanted to protect you. The less you know, the better." Luna gave the girl a tender smile.

"But I don't want to know less, I want to know what's going on. Please, would you all just tell me?" Lavender was a complete mess right now.

"I'm sorry, but we really don't know anything." George spoke gently to the girl.

"I really…loved him." Lavender stated timidly before wiping her eyes and then scurrying off down the hall.

How could she be so dumb? She just fell in love with some stupid Slytherin boy who had too many secrets. He kept so many things from her, she should have known. As she got to the girl's bathroom, she washed her face and tried to remain calm. But as she looked back up into the mirror at herself, she began crying all over again. Lavender never thought that Blaise would have it in him to just betray her like this. Especially after the dance and the way he talked to her…like she actually _mattered_. But she guessed it was true what they said about that, actions speak louder than words. And Blaise didn't love her and he probably would never love her. She was just a toy that he could play with to keep him occupied. It was probably just some stupid trend now that Draco and Hermione were getting a lot of attention due to their relationship. Wiping her eyes once more, she took a deep breath and then sighed. Turning around slowly, Lavender was startled by an unfamiliar figure that was approaching her. Her jaw dropped as she reached for her wand which was in her purse, but before she could pull it out, she was struck by a spell which casted her against the long mirror behind her. It shattered due to the blunt of the hit, and the glass shards began dropping down just above her. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw footsteps heading her way.

* * *

Hermione had now spent twenty minutes in the waiting room alone. She spent her time reading the posters that decorated the walls. Every time she came into the doctors, she read them. At this point, she could recite them word for word. But every single visit, she forced herself to reread them as though it would help her pass time. Gulping hard, Hermione heard footsteps nearing the room and soon enough the door opened. She turned around to see the doctor who was walking into the room with a smile on his face. Hermione took a minute to think about how he could possibly smile. How could he always look so friendly and happy when he was constantly giving people bad news? She knew that there were obviously good times where he could give his patients amazing news, but the bad had to outweigh the good.

"Ms. Granger," The doctor sat down with a clipboard in his hands. He began looking at the past records. "How are you feeling?"

"Not well," Hermione replied, "I've been feeling really weak lately, a chunk of my hair fell out the other day and I've been getting dizzy and sick a lot."

"So they're the usual symptoms?" The doctor gave her a careful glance.

"Yes," Hermione answered as she looked down at her hands.

"Alright, well, it's been a while since we've done a full scan. So I will have the nurse bring you in a nightgown and we'll run the full scan here. You'll have to go back out and wait in the waiting room for probably about twenty more minutes before I call you back again. And then we'll look at the scans and talk about the options from there, okay?" He looked over at the girl who was biting her bottom lip, still looking in her hands.

"A—alright," She nodded, trying to be strong.

"We'll get through this," He stood up and walked over to her. Giving her a pat on the back, he watched her fragile movements.

"It's just…it's a waiting game," Hermione finally looked up at him.

"Yes," He agreed, "It's a waiting game, but you never know, the odds just may be in your favor this time, Ms. Granger. You'd be surprised with all the cases I've seen. Some people come in here in stage four cancer and after time and progress, leave here completely normal and healthy again."

When the doctor left the room, she wondered how many times he gave that speech. How many times had he told people that they would get better but then they died within the next few months? Sniffling a little bit, she watched as a nurse came in and brought her a gown. Hermione quickly changed into it and then sat back down on the table and waited. It took only ten minutes this time for a nurse to come in and lead her to a dark room where they had a large machine. Hermione laid down how she was told to and then waited for the scan to start. Trying to clear her mind, she pushed back the tears. But it was becoming increasingly difficult and it was becoming more real as she heard nurses whispering back and forth to one another.

* * *

"It's taking forever," Draco muttered under his breath.

"Be patient," Layla scowled at him, "They are going to make sure that she is perfectly fine, don't you want that?"

"Yes, but they could do this much quicker," He groaned.

"They are just being extra careful," Layla commented.

Draco sat in his chair for a few more moments before getting up to his feet. Layla went to ask where he was going, but she realized that he was making his way to the front desk. He began talking to the lady who was sitting behind the computer to see if she had any information about Hermione. When the blonde girl shook her head no, he asked her if there was any way that she could find out. Layla watched Draco's tactics from the seat she was propped up in. She couldn't help but to let out a small smile as she saw the receptionist get up and go into the back to check on Hermione. It took only a few moments for the girl to come back and tell him a few things. He thanked her politely before making his way back down to his seat.

"You're ridiculous," Layla laughed.

"What?" Draco innocently asked.

"You flirt your way through people to get information from them." She pointed out.

"I have my ways," Draco stated. "You can't blame me, girls have their ways too."

"Oh really? Like what?" She crossed her arms.

"They just have their ways," Draco shrugged not really having any information or facts to back him up.

"Well what did she say?"

"They're doing tests on her right now," Draco answered.

* * *

Hermione went back into the examination room and waited for her doctor to return. He was quicker this time than before. As he put gloves on, he explained that he needed to do a physical examination to make sure everything was still normal. Leaning back onto the cold, metal table, Hermione inwardly sighed. She hated this part of her doctor visits, but she understood that this needed to be done in order to make sure her cancer didn't cause any abnormalities in her skin. After the doctor examined her completely, he took off his gloves and then went back to his chart. Smiling at the girl, he asked her if she would wait back out in the waiting room for just a little while longer.

So Hermione made her way back into the waiting room, where Layla and Draco were still sitting. Draco reached out and immediately went to her side. Layla stood from her chair and waited for the two to make their way over.

"I don't know anything yet," Hermione said, "The doctor still has to look at everything."

"This is taking forever," Draco sighed, "I don't remember it taking this long last time,"

"I know," Hermione nodded, "But he's just trying to be extremely...observant,"

She felt his lips press against her forehead and his hand tighten on her shoulder.

"Everything will be fine," Layla assured her, "Really, Hermione."

* * *

"Harry…did you hear that?" Ron whispered loudly across the room.

"Yeah, I think someone's coming down," Harry answered.

The two boys became silent as they saw two people coming down the stairs. It took them only a few moments to realize that it was two girls. The tallest one, shoved the shorter one down to the ground. The girl let out a small, muffled yelp as the other chained her foot down. Before leaving the girl alone, she ripped off the tape that was covering the young girl's mouth. The girl began crying out in pain. The tall one began walking towards Harry and Ron and eventually came close enough for them to see her. Standing before them, was none other than Bellatrix herself. She flashed them an evil smile before kneeling down next to Harry.

"One by one, they'll all die," She put her hand on the boy's cheek, "You poor, little, fool."

Bellatrix stood up and headed back up the stairs she came down from. The boys looked over at the girl but she was too far away for them to make out who she was. Ron looked back over to Harry who was now standing up. Harry went as far as his chain let him, but it still wasn't close enough to see the figure clearly. Giving another nervous glance to Ron, he shrugged.

"Are you okay?" Ron finally called out to the girl who was still weeping.

"Ron? Ron, is that you?" The girl stood to her feet and tried making her way over the boys, but couldn't get as close as she wanted to. At least with all of them stretched out as far as they could, they could at least make out the faces of each other.

"Lavender, are you alright?" Harry recognized both the voice and the face now.

"I'm…fine, I guess. Are you two okay?" She cried.

"We're…_decent_," Ron laughed, "How did they she get ahold of you?"

"She found me in the girl's bathroom…at Hogwarts." Lavender whispered. "I don't understand how she got in, but…she tortured me upstairs, trying to get some information…but I didn't have any." Lavender cried.

"What did they want to know?" Ron ventured further.

"Where Blaise was, and a few other Slytherins…including Draco. They asked about Hermione too, but…I don't know anything." Lavender explained.

"It's going to be okay, we'll get out of here," Ron told her.

"Do either of you know anything about Blaise?" She couldn't resist asking them.

"I don't know for sure…" Harry answered, "But there's a good chance he's with Draco and Hermione."

"Well, where are they?" Lavender inquired.

"I don't know, but I know that they're safe." Harry gave her a sincere glance, "I promise you, they are safe."

"Okay," She softly said before sitting back down on the cold floor hopelessly.

* * *

"Ms. Granger," A nurse came out to the waiting room, "The doctor is ready to see you now."

Hermione stood up and went to the nurse. Draco went to follow her, but she told him that she wanted to go alone again. As Hermione made it back to the examination room, the doctor was already waiting for her. He shut the door and then sat back down in front of her. She felt her heart beginning to pound in her chest. Sitting on the table, she took a deep breath and then watched him carefully as he flipped through her file. Suddenly, he looked up to her with a straight face. Hermione knew that face, she had seen it many times. He always had the same face, the same tone in voice, and the same mannerism whenever he had any bad news to tell. So Hermione braced herself for the worst as she saw his mouth slightly open.

* * *

"I don't understand why she doesn't want me back there with her," Draco mentioned to Layla. "I always go back there with her and suddenly, it's like she doesn't even need me."

"She's probably just really stressed and wants to take in the information before sharing it with someone else." Layla suggested.

"I can respect that, but I'm always with her. I always go in with her and I talk to the doctor and…it just doesn't make sense. She just keeps getting more distant." Draco let out a long breath and then bit his bottom lip, "I think she's been upset with me. I think that she hasn't fully forgiven me yet for the unbreakable vow. But that doesn't give her the right to just shove me out of her life."

"I honestly just think she's stressed out, Draco. You're reading too much into it." Layla looked over at him.

"I can tell when she's just stressed. It's more than that this time…there's something…" His eyes lifted up to see the doctor standing before them. "Doctor Penkin," Draco stood up and shook the man's hand.

"Ms. Granger is in examination room six and she would like to see you." He looked down at Draco.

"Alright," Draco nodded, "Layla, I'll be right back."

Draco made his way down into the hallway and to room six. When he opened the door, he found Hermione on the examination table, crying. After shutting the door, he made his way over to her. Putting his arms around her, he held her for a few moments. No words needed to be said, because it was obvious that it wasn't good news. Draco tried not to tear up because he needed to be strong for her. But as she continued crying into his chest, he realized how difficult this was all becoming. His eyes wandered over to the posters in the room. Feeling her grip tighten on him, he took in a sharp breath. This was becoming unbearable for him.

"I need—I need to tell you something," Hermione finally pulled away from him.

"It's going to be okay," He said, "We'll discuss treatments and options…"

"I don't need any," Hermione looked up at him with tears still running down her face.

"You need medication, Granger. We already discussed this," Draco started off ranting.

"No, Draco, listen to me, I don't need it." She shook her head.

"Fuck, Granger…what do you expect me to do? Just watch you get worse?" Draco looked down at her helplessly.

"I'm cancer free," She whispered.

"You're what?" A smile appeared on his face, "Are you serious?"

"Yes," She nodded with a grin on her face, "I'm cancer free!"

"I love you—I love you so much," Draco wrapped his arms around her tightly again, "I knew this would happen, I knew you would be just fine. I told you that, didn't I?" His attitude changed so quickly.

"You did," She nodded.

"I love you." Draco repeated.

"I love you too," Hermione took a deep breath.

"B—but wait, then…what about the hair and your weakness? You've been so sick lately, did they find out what it was?" Draco sat down in a chair across from her.

"Draco, my hair fell out because of the medicine…you gave me a few shots since we've been at the safe house and the medicine is what made my hair fall out." Hermione stood up.

"Oh," Draco sounded surprised, "Alright, well…this is wonderful. Did the medicine cause you to throw up and feel dizzy all the time too?"

"Um, no," Hermione looked up at him with an unreadable glance.

"Oh, bloody hell, don't…don't tell me you have something else, Granger, did they find something?" Draco became worried.

"Actually, yes," She nodded, "They saw it on my scans,"

"Granger, what is it?" Draco's mouth slightly parted.

* * *

Ginny was out in Hogsmede about this time, trying to find some trace of evidence. As she entered a pub, she saw that there were mostly men sitting around. Sitting down at an empty table, she ordered a water and listened to the shady figures who were laughing and getting progressively drunk. When her waiter came back over, she asked if she wanted any food. But Ginny kindly declined the offer and said that she would stick with the water for now. She continued to watch over the group of men until one of them caught her eye. He was a gruffy man with dirt all over his hands and face. Clearly he was incredibly unclean. Making his way towards her, he laughed. Getting the other men's attention, he got incredibly close to her, making her feel uncomfortable. But she tried her hardest not to let her feelings show. She decided she would have to play along with this to get the information she needed.

"You're a lovely creature, now aren't you?" He took up a few strands of hair and got a few inches in front of her face.

"T—thank you," Ginny tried to sound innocent and sweet.

"Would you like to come sit with us?" He took her by the hand.

"Of course," She stood up and let the disgusting man lead her over to the table where she was surrounded by what she supposed were snatchers.

"So then I told him," One man shouted across the table, "Did you think I'd disappoint you?"

"W—what he say?" Another one questioned.

"He looked at me and smiled," He answered, "He told me I was the best snatcher because I got ahold of that Potter and his stupid little friend!"

"Potter?" Ginny questioned. She felt a dozen stares fall on her. "I'm sorry, but do you mean, Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, do you know him?" The man looked across the table at her.

"Yes, unfortunately. He's quite a vile being, isn't he?" She played it off coolly.

"I like you, ever thought of becoming a snatcher?" The man beside her asked her.

"Yes, but…I don't think I quite suit the job," Ginny flashed him a small smile.

"Too timid for that," One said aloud.

"Maybe by day…" Another commented suggestively.

"So what about this Potter boy? Where did you take him?" She leaned across the table and looked affectionately over to the one who had been telling the story.

"I took him to the Malfoy Manor," He said with pride.

"Good," She said with a smile, "Excuse me, I have to use the lavatory," She laughed as she walked away back to the restroom area.

When she got into the bathroom, she opened up the small window above the toilet and then climbed atop of it to get out. Once she was out of the pub, she began running and making her way across town and to a small bed and breakfast. Since it was getting dark outside, she decided that she would venture out the next morning. Besides, she needed to develop a plan.

* * *

"Granger, what is it?" Draco asked as he lifted his head up to see her. She was still sitting silently on the table, with her eyes on the floor. "Please, just…tell me…"

"Draco," She tumbled over her words and as she lifted her eyes up to meet his, "I'm pregnant."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Severity

"Cancer free?" Layla had a smile growing on her face, "T—that's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Hermione shifted her gaze back over to Draco. They were now standing in the living room of the safe house. He hadn't said anything to her about the situation yet. Layla came charging into the room, too anxious to wait any longer for the news. She interrupted their conversation, and since then, they hadn't really had a chance to talk. She turned back over to Layla who was now heading over to the kitchen.

"I'll make dinner tonight! We can celebrate!" Layla eagerly opened up a cook book that Hermione had left out on the counter. "I don't really understand how exactly this all works, but I can learn!"

Hermione watched the girl fiddle with the stove and when a flame suddenly appeared, she jumped up with excitement. Sure, she had seen these flames before, but she had never created one herself. Flipping through the cookbook, she began reading off names of all sorts of dishes. Layla turned the stove back off as she sat up on the counter and started reading directions for how to make a roast. Draco was standing by the fire place still, watching the fire as though it would somehow give him an answer he was seeking.

"Draco," Hermione softly whispered.

"What do you think, Hermione? Does roast sound good?" Layla looked over her shoulder to see the girl.

"I'm actually not that hungry," Hermione answered.

"Aw, I was so excited," Layla frowned.

"You _have_ to eat," Draco suddenly said in a low voice.

"Why are you two acting so bummed out? You just found out that you're cancer free, Hermione! We should be celebrating and having a good time!" Layla hysterically cried.

"Cancer free?" Blaise walked into the room. "You're cancer free?" His eyes met Hermione's.

"Yes," Hermione said meekly.

"Hey guys!" Blaise called out up the stairs and within minutes the room was becoming crowded again. "Guys, calm down, guess what?" Upon hearing the news, a lot of the Slytherin's congratulated her and a few even hugged her. As the chatter began to increase, Hermione quickly slipped back up the stairs and went to the bedroom, where she shut the door.

Draco started out towards the stairs, but Layla's hand caught him. Giving a glance to the young girl, he realized how suddenly stern her movements had become. She pulled him away from the crowd who continued on talking about other things. Layla stared up at him with curious eyes that demanded an answer.

"What's going on with the two of you?" Layla said under her breath.

"Nothing," Draco tried to move past her.

"Don't give me that bullshit, what's going on? She should be happy, you should be happy, Draco. Aren't you even in the slightest bit excited for her?" Layla felt almost angry now.

"Just bug off," Draco pushed her aside roughly and made his way up the stairs.

* * *

Ginny got up early in the morning and quickly got dressed. She certainly didn't have any time to waste sitting around in a hotel or going to a pub late again. But she got the information she needed, which was good. However, she knew there was still a lot ahead of her, and time wasn't on her side. So she pulled her bag closer and rummaged through it to find her floo powder. Though she didn't have much, it had to be enough to get her through at least a few trips. Biting harshly on her bottom lip, she let out a small sigh and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was at the front door of the Malfoy Manor. Gripping tightly onto her wand, she rushed to the shrubbery nearby. She watched quietly and carefully as the door opened and a tall figure emerged. It was Lucius Malfoy who had entered the scene. Swinging his cane back and forth slightly, he stood alone. But it wasn't long before the door opened once more, and a woman approached him. Though it took Ginny a few moments to realize who the odd figure was, it was plainly obvious. Beside Lucius now was his wife, Narcissa.

"Give him time," She said to her husband.

"Time is running out, we've caught the boy. Everyone on Potter's side will be exiled unless they surrender. He won't back down, Narcissa." Lucius rubbed his forehead.

"You don't know that," Her lips were strained whenever she spoke. "He may change his mind."

"How could our son…our only son…fall for a mudblood?" He began chattering on about his son and how he expected more.

"It will be alright, he will get his act together. I assure you, Lucius, he's only being rebellious. When the time comes…when the war comes, that is…he will surrender. He isn't thinking straight with that stupid mudblood hanging on him all the time. But when it comes to life or death, he will rejoin our side, and the Dark Lord will have mercy on his soul." Putting a gentle hand on his face, she let out a small smile.

"You think he will forgive him?" Lucius whispered as he looked down into his wife's loving eyes. When she nodded, he simply pulled away and laughed, "Then you're just as foolish as they say you are."

Ginny still watched silently, behind a row of bushes. She watched as Lucius walked back inside abruptly. As she continued to keep her eyes on Narcissa, she became intrigued. The woman was now alone (or so she thought), and suddenly she let her guard down. Sitting down on a stone bench, she rubbed her eyes that were spilling tears down her pale face. This was a sight that made Ginny feel both inadequate and uncomfortable. She didn't know whether to feel pity for the woman, or to think nothing of this. But as she listened to the woman's low cry, she decided that maybe Narcissa wasn't a bad person after all. Maybe she was really trying hard to please the man she fell in love with years ago. Maybe he had changed over time, maybe he hadn't. Either way, you can't truly decide who you fall in love with. And if that's so, maybe she was really, truly grieving the loss of her son, because maybe deep down she did love him.

* * *

"I think Mum's lost it," George looked over at Fred who was walking alongside him in the hallway.

"What did you expect? First Ron off and left…and now Ginny," Fred sighed loudly, "We were too hard on her."

"We really were…" George stopped and pressed his back up against the wall.

"We should have stopped her."

"We should have done something."

"Guys, there you are," Neville approached them out of breath. "Lav—Lavender's gone missing."

"What?" George stood up immediately, "She wouldn't just go off and search for Blaise, would she?"

"No," Fred shook his head, "She's not that brave…I mean, I don't think she is anyway..."

"She didn't leave willingly," Neville told the two, "A first year found glass shattered all throughout the girl's bathroom sometime between when we last saw her and this morning. There was blood and…Lavender's bag was the only thing there. Guys, I don't think that Lavender left on her own terms, I think someone took her."

"Who would take her?" George turned to his brother as if he had the answer.

"Don't you guys get it?" Luna walked up to the group, "Someone on the other side took her. Everyone knew about her and Blaise, and Blaise could be with Hermione and Draco which means…"

"They thinks she has information." The twins said at the same time.

"Precisely," Luna nodded.

"Well, we have to do something," Neville began, "We can't just let them…"

"What are we going to do, Neville? Go try to track her down? She could very well be dead right now, and we wouldn't know it. If we go after everyone who has left, we're going to be killed. But worse than that, we won't be able to stay here and help the students at Hogwarts when the war starts." George interrupted.

"Will there even be a war if Harry's not here?" Neville responded.

"Of course there will be," Luna answered, "He isn't just going to kill Harry, Neville. He wants complete domination and complete annihilation of all who aren't purebloods. Whether they kill him first or last, there will be war."

"It just doesn't make sense…" Neville shook his head. "Draco took Hermione to the safe house to protect her…why wouldn't Blaise take Lavender?"

"Who knows…maybe he isn't a good guy after all." George commented.

"Or maybe he really thought he was doing the right thing," Fred suggested, "Either way, we all have to stay here. We can start training the younger students soon, we can start…"

"Whatever we do, we need to do it fast." Luna interrupted.

"Agreed," Neville nodded.

* * *

"Granger, we need to talk." Draco stood from the bed when she got out of the shower.

"There's nothing to talk about," Hermione coldly turned away from him as she began brushing out her wet, short hair.

"Please, don't do this," Draco shook his head.

"You didn't want to talk about it all bloody day and all of a sudden now you want to talk about it? Is it convenient for you now, Draco? Huh?" She cried.

"Don't make this into a big deal," Draco muttered.

"A big deal? There is something growing inside of me," Hermione said in a half-repulsed way. But it wasn't because of the idea of a baby inside of her, it was the idea that Draco didn't care.

"It's a _baby_," Draco corrected.

"Stop!" She shouted.

"Okay, calm down," Draco picked up his wand and placed a silencing charm on the room. Obviously it was about to get loud and he knew that neither of them were ready to tell everyone else about the news.

"I will not calm down!" She screamed, "It's inside of me, not you! I have to carry it for nine months, not you! I have to give birth, not you! You are not pregnant, I am pregnant! And you can't even take the time to talk to me about what we should do? No, you don't get to decide everything about this relationship, Draco! You don't get to decide when we talk, or when we vent or when we have sex,"

"We only had sex once, Granger, and don't act like I forced you into it!" He shouted.

"Only once," Hermione's voice suddenly got low as she rubbed her forehead, "Only once and now I'm pregnant…"

"We screwed up, Granger…it's not the end of the world." Draco shook his head.

"We screwed up? Is that what you look at it as?" She gave him a stern glance, "This was a mistake, to you?"

"It's not a mistake, it happened which means it was meant to be that way, but you can't deny that it's not really the loveliest of time to have a baby. In the middle of a bloody war, for Merlin's sake…" Draco walked closer to her.

"Don't get near me," She pushed him away, needing space to think clearly.

"What do you want me to do?" Draco shouted, "I'm at my wits end and I don't know what you want me to do or what you want me to say. Because so far everything I've done has been wrong! And I can't help you, I can't help us if I don't understand what we're doing!"

"Well, I don't know what we're bloody doing either!" Hermione cried out with tears coming to her eyes, "I don't…I don't know," She sat down on the bed and covered up her face, "Tell me what to do…"

Draco watched the girl who was still crying on the bed. She was impossible, no doubt. First she yelled at him for always taking charge and making decisions and then she tells him to make a decision for her. There was no way he could win with her, especially not when she was this emotionally stressed out. But even though she was acting like a maniac and it was getting on his nerves, he loved her. And more importantly, he understood that she needed him no matter how hard she tried to push him away. So he went to the other side of the bed and sat down so they were facing away from one another. After a few more minutes of listening to her cry, he decided to start speaking his mind.

"I never wanted children," Draco started and then stopped. He was trying to form the words perfectly right in his head, but he was becoming nervous.

"I won't abort this child," Hermione whispered.

"I'm not asking you to," Draco was quick to respond.

"You want me to put it up for adoption?" Hermione finally turned around and faced his back.

"I never wanted children," Draco turned to face her and then went on, "I never wanted children because I couldn't imagine a mini me running around. I didn't want to give life to a being that would be as fucked up as I am."

"Draco," Hermione started, but he interrupted her.

"I didn't want to have to tell the child of my past and who I once was. I never wanted him to be picked on or hurt by others at school because of his family line and their mistakes. I didn't want him to resent me and the fact that I brought shame on the family name. I just don't want to hurt him, I don't want to screw his life up so badly that he resents me for the rest of my life. I don't want him to be forced to live some dreadful life that he hates. I didn't want him to have to grow up the same way I did."

"I know…" Hermione softly said.

"I never wanted children, because I didn't want to have to be responsible for the way his life course played out. I didn't want him hating me for things I couldn't control. I didn't want him to have to feel like he had to live up to some overly high expectation that was just impossible to reach. I didn't want to suffocate him with the way I thought he should live his life. I didn't want to hold him back or deny him his wishes because I planned his life before he was even born. I didn't want him to have to hate his own family so much because I was part of it and I always messed everything up. I didn't want him to feel like he had to run away or disown his family because that's the only way that he could keep his head above water. I was afraid that I couldn't provide a life that any child would ever want, let alone deserve. I've been in a family of a bunch of morons who take everything for granted and act as if money really grows on trees. I've been raised by this species that just thinks the world revolves around them and how they feel, and where they want to be and when and with whom. I've grown up in such a hostile environment, and I would never wish that life on anyone. No child ever deserves to be brought up like that." Draco took a moment to breathe and recollect his thoughts. Hermione stared at him, still in silence for a few seconds longer.

"I understand," She nodded and reassured him that they were on the same page.

"I never wanted children, because I never pictured being with someone who actually gave a damn about me and my wellbeing. I never wanted children, because I thought I would be stuck in that hell hole forever and no one would ever lift me out of that. I never wanted children, because I thought that if I had them it would be with someone as vile as Pansy Parkinson. I never wanted children, because I thought I was a complete mess full of darkness and that I would never find any good in me." He paused once more as he let out a long breath, "Granger, I never wanted children, because I never imagined I would have someone quite like you in my life. I never imagined that I would be lucky enough to find someone who saw some sort of goodness in me. I never wanted children, because I never imagined having one with you."

"D—Draco, what are you saying?" Hermione had lost him there towards the end.

"I'm saying I want us to keep the baby. I want us to be a family." Draco watched her expression change, "I love you, Granger, and I want to be with you…always, and I think that it's going to be hard and complicated, but I don't care. I love you and I love the baby, I love us…as a family. We'll figure this out, one way or another."

Hermione leaned over and kissed Draco in an affectionate manner. He could ruin her day and put her in the worst of moods sometimes. But whenever something got too serious, he knew how to fix it. She always underestimated him, even at through the hardest of times. Putting her arms around him and letting him hug her gently, she felt a tear come down small face. So this was how it was going to be from now on. This was how their lives were going to be once the war was over and Harry won. They would move in together and they would raise a family of their own.

"Come on," Draco helped her up from the bed, "I'll make us some dinner."

"Wait, when are we going to tell the others?" Hermione wondered.

"Whenever you're ready, I suppose…" Draco replied.

"I'm not ready yet, okay?" Hermione held his hand more firmly.

"Okay,"

* * *

When Narcissa finally stopped crying and went back inside, Ginny got out from her hiding spot. She looked around the outside of the building, trying to find a way inside, but there were no other entrances besides the front door. Turning around to the stairs that led up the door, she noticed that a death eater was walking up the path. Pulling out her wand she quickly performed a spell which knocked him out completely. Rushing over to the man, she pulled him to the bush's where she took his cloak and mask and quickly put it on herself. She was beginning to lose daylight and she needed to get into the Manor now.

Opening up the door, she noticed that she was alone. Quickly moving through the hallways, she glanced down every room, trying to find Harry and Ron. But all she only found more death eaters and house elves who were aimlessly walking around searching for their masters. Ginny grabbed one of the elves and pulled them aside to the hall. Clearing her throat she tried to sound as deep as possible in her tone of voice.

"You, house elf," She rudely called him.

"Master, is that you?" The house elf looked up, afraid to ask that question.

"Of course it's me!" She cried, "Who else would I be? Now tell me, where are they keeping Potter?"

"In the dungeon, Master," He replied, "It's down the hall and to the left," The elf pointed in the direction.

"Alright," Ginny nodded before making her way down the hall.

She passed by a few rooms and finally got to the door. Using all of her weight to push it open, Ginny rushed down the creaky stairs. Keeping her mask on in case there was someone else down there, she walked slow and leisurely. There were no noises to be heard and after a while of searching, she finally gave up on pretending to be a death eater. After taking of her mask and brushing back her hair, she began to call out Harry and Ron's name. But there was no reply. Venturing further into the dungeon, she saw chains on the floor and a small leg that it was attached too. Calling out their names once more, Ginny raised out her wand with a lumos spell to light what was before her. Looking around, she saw that the only body remaining in the dungeon was a small house elf. Kneeling down, she asked him if he was okay, but there was no reply.

"Kellin, what are you doing?" A man looked down at his house elf.

"Master! Why, I thought you went down to the dungeon, where are you robes?" The house elf asked.

"What do you mean, the dungeon?" The man crossed his arms, looking down suspiciously at the elf.

"Oh no…Master, I've done something terribly wrong," The house elf began to shake.

Ginny carefully put her wand down to the cold ground as she picked up the house elf in her hand. She felt tears swarming to her eyes as she saw Dobby's face turn over to her. The house elf had been stabbed and had recently bled out. Leaning over him, she couldn't help but to have a small breakdown. However, she didn't have long to cry, because before she knew it, she heard footsteps coming from the stairs. She went to grab her wand, but a spell hit her and she was struck down to the ground. Trying to pull herself back up, another spell lifted her into the air and slammed her up against stone wall. She fell back down to the ground where she was then knocked out.

* * *

"Harry, I know this is hard, but we have to keep going," Ron encouraged him, "We need to go to Gringott's and we need to get the others…"

"I know," Harry said, "I just…Doby's always been there for me, I don't understand how, but he always was. And he just died to save us, he's gone…"

"It's going to be alright," Ron walked alongside him through the forest.

"I never wanted this, I never wanted any of this, Ron." He breathed in, "I never wanted anyone to have to die for me…but it seems like that's what everyone's been doing."

"No one thinks that you wanted this, mate. It's going to be okay, we're going to defeat Voldemort and his army. I'm sure Ginny and the rest of them are building up Dumbledore's army right now as we speak. We have to do this for them, Harry. We have to keep going."

"What about Lavender?" Harry felt a pain through his chest.

"I don't know..." Ron replied after clearing his throat.

"I know, it's just…I'm sorry," Harry looked over to Ron, "I'm sorry I've got you into this mess."

"Stop apologizing," Ron shook his head, "This isn't just your battle, Harry. We're all in this together."

Harry continued to follow Ron until they made their way to Gringott's. Ron turned over to his friend and gave him a nod, "Good luck, mate."

"You too,"

* * *

Hermione and Draco got up early the next morning to find Layla sitting in the living room by herself. She was sitting in front of the fire, staring at it deeply. Even when she heard the couple entering the room, she didn't bother to look over. She was too concentrated her own track of thought which was now becoming a bit blurred.

"Layla, are you okay?" Hermione knelt down next to her.

"Something's not right," Layla looked at the two, "Something's gone terribly wrong,"

"Layla, what is it?" Draco became concerned.

"I've been having dreams…about the war, about the Dark Lord…and…it's as if he's trying to reach out to me." She confessed quietly. "I saw fire everywhere and people were screaming and dying—and I could smell death, it was everywhere…" She shook her head with tears in her eyes, "And the pain was unbearable…"

"It's okay, nothing is going to hurt you, you're safe, Layla. We're safe here." Hermione assured her.

"N—no," Layla suddenly said, "We _were_ safe, but not anymore. He kept trying to get into my mind and I just kept shutting him out, but…he talked to me, I could hear his voice as clear as day and he told me to rejoin his side and he'd have mercy on me. He told me I had just lost my way and he would forgive me if I left now and followed him from here on out."

"Layla, he won't hurt you, I won't let him hurt you." Draco assured her.

"It's too late," She looked down at her shaking hands, "He knows where we are, he got into my head, I wasn't strong enough to fight him off, I'm so—so sorry," She began crying.

Draco looked over at Hermione, "Stay with her, I'll get the others, we need to leave, now."

Hermione hugged the crying girl in front of her. She knew that Layla wasn't that strong, which was probably why Voldemort had chosen her. Though Layla was strong in her beliefs, Hermione knew that from what Draco told her, she was slightly emotionally unstable. Maybe it was a disorder, maybe it was just years of neglect, either way, she was still a good person deep down. When Draco got back to the living room he had packed up both of their things and there was a trail of Slytherin's behind him. Standing to her feet, she helped Layla up and they all headed out, even though they had no idea where they would be going.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Layla said to the group.

* * *

Ginny woke up, lying on the cold ground. She pushed herself up and began walking towards the stairs. Suddenly, her right foot couldn't move any further. Looking down at it, she realized that she was chained down to the floor, just like Dobby had been. Her eyes widened as she realized she was alone again, in darkness.

"Bellatrix," Lucius entered a dark room on the first floor with a death eater beside him, "Is there something you want to tell me about Mr. Potter and Weasley?"

She turned around to see him more clearly. Her nostrils flared for a moment as she walked closely to both men.

"I'm going to bring them back," She snarled.

"You were supposed to keep your eye on them, and you let them escape? Even the girl, huh?"

"No, I caught her," Bellatrix laughed a bit chaotically.

"I suppose you'll be explaining this to the Dark Lord?" Lucius inquired.

"No need, I'll retrieve them before he returns." She stood up tall.

"He won't be long, I'd hurry if I were you," Lucius warned her.

"Goodbye," She remarked as she left the room.

"Lucius, there is something I need to talk to you about." The death eater pulled him aside.

"What is it? Be quick, I have other things to tend to," Lucius was impatient, as always.

"It's about your son," The death eater replied.

"W—what about Draco?" Lucius' eyes widened and his mouth slightly parted.

"The Dark Lord has tracked where he's been staying—with the mudblood and a few other traitors. He sent out snatchers to catch them," The death eater cleared his throat, "I just thought that you should know about this."

"Have you seen the Dark Lord?" Lucius managed to get out.

"Yes, I talked with him and personally asked him if he would have mercy on Draco. I asked him to inform me when they finally found them and to let you talk to Draco alone. I assured him you could change his mind and reason with him since he is your son after all." The death eater smiled, "I'm sure he will listen to you once he understands the..._**severity** _of his options."

"Thank you," Lucius politely nodded towards the man.

"Lucius," Narcissa entered the room quickly, "There was something I—oh, my apologies, I didn't realize you were in the middle of…"

"I was actually just on my way out, Mrs. Malfoy," The death eater gave a slight nod to Narcissa and then left the room. She turned back to see her husband who was staring at the ground.

"I know that look," She neared him, "Darling, what is it?"

"They have a track on Draco, they're after him right now," Lucius watched Narcissa's eyes for a moment.

"They won't kill him," She shook her head.

"No they won't," Lucius stood tall, "The Dark Lord has agreed to let Draco speak with me before deciding his fate. I can change Draco's mind, if I just…"

"You won't change his mind," Narcissa cried, "Not this time, Lucius…not with what's at stake for him."

"His life is what's at stake," Lucius demanded, "Draco desires to live more than anything else, he has my blood in him, which means he's going to do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means going against his own morals."

"Sometimes the apple falls _very_ far from the tree, Lucius." Narcissa exhaled deeply and then inhaled sharply, "I may not have had the best relationship with our son, but I at least know the boy. And when he has his mind set on something specific, he follows through with it. And right now, his mind is set on that girl. That's all he cares about, Lucius. Maybe you can't understand that, because you've never put someone else before yourself. But maybe, just maybe, Draco took after me in the sense of caring for someone so deeply that you put your whole life and dreams to the side so you can make that person happy..."

Lucius turned around to look at his wife. They were never going to solve their problems at this point, because there was too much damage to be repaired. He had hurt her time after time, he denied her affection day after day, but she still stayed there because she loved him. She wanted to have a happy family, she wanted to raise Draco in a nice, loving home, but by the time he came along, Lucius was already too mixed up to save. Part of her considered leaving Lucius and taking Draco with her, but something made her stay. And what made her stay was undeniable, selfish love. She couldn't leave his side, because she made a vow to always be with him. No matter how bad things got, she could never bring herself to pack up and go. He meant too much to her. Even more than Draco. And that's where the blame fell on her. She loved her son, but not enough to put him first. She could never love anyone like she loved Lucius, and that was her biggest flaw. Narcissa could only truly love one person at a time. She was never good at sharing her love or affection with more than one person. So she spent all of her life trying to give her love away to a man who didn't deserve it and who never returned it back.

"...even if that means that you receive absolutely nothing in return! Even if that means that you suffer every day of your life. Even if that means shedding your skin and becoming an entirely different breed!" She cried, "Just maybe, Lucius, our son didn't take after us. Maybe he found something that he believed in, that he stood for, something that he understands is greater than him...and maybe unlike you, he's found something in his life worth dying for. And maybe that's what true bravery is, Lucius."

"I don't understand," The man shook his head.

"Of course not," She gave him a strained smile as she shook her head, "You're not capable of possibly understanding something like that."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Nightmares

"How could you be so stupid?" Keegan shouted out at Layla.

"I don't know…" Layla answered, feeling a bit weak kneed.

"Lay off, Keegan," Hermione gave him a glance, "You don't know if you would be able to handle it."

"I'm sure I could have done a hell of a lot better than little miss happy go lucky over here." Keegan sighed, "Look at us; we don't even know where we're going!"

"Keegan, just shut up!" Theo grumbled as he turned over to Draco, "But seriously, we do need to figure out where we're going."

"Okay, just, hold on, everyone just stop for a minute." Draco let out a deep breath as he looked around the street names. "I don't know where we are—we're practically in the middle of nowhere. But if I can find a way to contact Snape…"

"We don't have time to contact Snape!" Blaise began, "I realize that he's a good guy and everything and that he'd be willing to help, but they've already sent out snatchers."

"Snatchers?" Hermione questioned, "What are snatchers?"

"What do they bloody sound like?" Keegan crossed his arms.

"I swear to Merlin, I'm going to—" Hermione started as she began walking over to Keegan.

"Okay, stop!" Draco shouted, "We're not getting anywhere by fighting."

"We have to get moving, we're losing daylight." Adrian began talking.

"Wow, what a helpful suggestion," Brendon looked over at the boy.

"Oh, because you were throwing out some really good ones," Adrian bit back.

"Can you not see that he's trying to form a plan?" Daren looked over at the boys as though they were inferior.

"If we would all just calm down and try to think about this rationally…" Duncan suggested.

"We should split up." Layla finally spoke up. All eyes fell on her within seconds. "No, I'm serious, we should. It will confuse them. Most importantly, I need to be away from you two," She pointed at Hermione and Draco.

"Layla, we can stick together," Hermione insisted.

"No, I think she's right," Draco agreed with Layla whose glance quickly met his.

"Draco," Hermione nudged him, "We are not going to let her go off by herself to Merlin knows where and get herself killed by some—some snatcher, whatever the bloody hell that is!"

"Hermione's pregnant." Draco suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at Hermione. "That's why I think that if we split up, Granger and I should be off by ourselves. I'm sorry, but I can't let anything happen to either of them."

"Draco, you promised me," Hermione whispered.

"I'm sorry," He shook his head, "I'm sorry…but it needs to be this way, I need to protect you, no matter what."

"You're pregnant?" Blaise moved closer towards the girl, "With Draco's baby?"

"Y—yes," Hermione nodded.

"This is insane," Blaise looked over at Draco, "But, congratulations, mate."

"Thank you,"

"How far along are you?" Keegan wondered.

"Um, like four months—five months tops," Hermione uncomfortably answered.

"How long have you guys been keeping this from us?" Adrian piped in.

"We just found out the other day," Draco explained, "It's pretty new to us too."

"You don't even look like you've gained any weight…" Duncan reached out to put his hand on her stomach, but Hermione quickly pulled herself away.

"I'm sorry, it's just…no one's touched my stomach…before…like that," She became flustered. "We don't have time to talk about this, we are being hunted down right now, we need to make a plan and then we need to leave."

"That's why you were acting so strange the other day…both of you," Layla looked back and forth between Hermione and Draco, "That's why you were so upset and you were so distant. I went with you, you said we were friends!" At this moment, her eyes fell solely on Hermione, "You pretended like we were real friends, do you realize how much that hurts? Do you? No, you don't, because your Hermione Granger, and you get whatever you want whenever you want, and it—it never even mattered, did it? It wasn't like I could ever possibly be part of your life. You were always too good for someone of my kind, weren't you?"

"Layla, it wasn't like that," Hermione shook her head.

"And if Draco wouldn't have just told us now, when would you have come out and told me the truth? When you were delivering the child? When you were sending out invitations to the wedding?" She cried, "I trusted you, Granger, I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends, Layla, I was just going through some things and it's personal, it's a very personal matter…" Hermione began.

"I told you everything!" Layla shouted, "We were becoming close and now you were just going to go off…and, no…how could you?"

"Layla, I was scared and upset, I didn't need to rest of the world knowing until Draco and I figured out exactly what we were doing!" Hermione defended herself.

"It doesn't matter if you were scared or you were hurting! You should have opened up to me; you should have let me know! But you didn't—you kept it from me. Friends don't do that,"

"It's different, Layla…you just…you wouldn't understand." Hermione finally said.

"You're right, I couldn't possibly understand! Who could understand the Great Almighty Granger," Layla started walking away without saying another word.

"Layla," Hermione went to follow after her, but she felt Draco's hand on her wrist.

"Let her go," He ordered. Hermione gave him a reluctant glance, but then understood his hesitant manner. After all, it wasn't just her life at risk anymore; it was also their child's. This meant that there was a lot more precautions that they needed to take and Hermione needed to look at things a bit differently now. It wasn't just herself that she was protecting. "So we'll split up. Adrian, go after Layla and stay with her, got it? Keegan you stay with Duncan, Brendon you stay with Darren. Blaise and Theo stick together. And everyone…just—just be careful."

Draco gave a strong glance around the group. He was never one for getting emotional or becoming too attached to anyone except for Granger. But he had to admit that even though they were only with each other for a short amount of time, he was beginning to truly like some of the Slytherins. It wasn't that he had disliked them before but more so just the fact that he didn't really know them all well enough to be able to deem them good or bad. It made him very hesitant over whether or not to take Granger to the safe house. But when he realized that Snape trusted them all fully, Draco decided to take the risk. He wasn't positive that he would see any of his new friends again. He didn't even know if some of them would join Voldemort's army and turn against them. But he did know that he got to know some pretty amazing people for a while and it would certainly be a waste if they used their talents for the wrong reasons.

"When will we all see each other again?" Blaise asked before the group dispersed.

"I don't know…if we ever really will," Draco answered, "But if it's meant to be, it will happen."

Hermione watched as the boys in front of them began leaving in every which direction. Looking over at Draco, she realized how hard this was for him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that this was killing him, but they both understood that this was what they had to do. When he turned back over to face her, he blinked a few times and then cleared his throat. Taking his hand in hers, he pulled her along a now crowded street.

* * *

"Alright, this is the last call for anyone who wants to join!" Luna cried out to an overcrowded table.

"Who all can help?" A young Gryffindor stood up.

"You should really go home when this all happens…" Fred looked down at the brunette.

"I want to fight!" The girl stood up.

"You don't know _how_ to fight," Neville told the girl nicely.

"Then teach me!" She cried out.

"My name is Luna Lovegood," Luna stuck out her hand, "If you are serious about this…maybe I can teach you."

"Th—thank you," She smiled, "My name is Eve,"

As soon as the group left the Great Hall and went into the front corridor of the castle, the twins

"What were you thinking? She's young—she probably doesn't know how to perform even the smallest of spells," George sighed as he walked alongside the group.

"You don't know that, George! But even if she doesn't, I'm going to teach her." Luna flashed a glance at all of the boys who looked very reluctant to agree with her decision.

"What is it about this girl that you like so much?" Neville stopped Luna.

"Her determination." Luna answered, "No one ever gave me a chance when I was growing up. No one thought that I had it in me to be strong, let alone be a talented witch. So it just…seems right that I take on someone who's like me. You'd be surprised, sometimes even the weakest of souls turn out to be very strong in the end."

"Your souls not weak," Fred commented.

"Neither is hers," Luna walked ahead of the group.

"She's…unusual, isn't she?" Neville looked over at the Weasley twins who simply nodded at him.

When they got out to the courtyard, they saw huge crowds of people who were waiting for them. Luna turned back to the boys with a huge smile on her face.

"I'll take this group, Neville you take the one on the far left, George you take the crowd in the corner, and Fred you can take the group next to mine." Luna directed the boys where to go.

Luna worked with her group for about an hour. She had them starting off with simple spells but then worked with them more intensely. Looking over at the other groups, her eyes searched for Eve, but she was nowhere to be found. Giving a slight sigh, Luna turned back to her group and then told them their schedule. She made sure to explain that she wouldn't know when their last meeting would be because she wasn't sure herself when the war would start. But she made sure to let them know that she would train with them as much as they needed and if anyone ever needed one-on-one training she would always be willing to help. When she dismissed her group, she noticed that all of the other groups had already left.

* * *

"You're a Weasley, no doubt." Lucius looked down at Ginny.

"Yes," She stood up, looking at him.

"You're not scared?" Lucius became intrigued by how sturdy she seemed in front of him.

"No," Ginny lied as she let out a small breath.

"Well…you should be." Lucius replied as he leaned further onto his cane. "You're going to die."

"I don't care," She shook her head.

"Oh, really?" Lucius brushed her hair from her face, "How…interesting…"

"I'm nothing like you,"

"Clearly," Lucius chuckled. "Why don't we make a little deal?"

"I won't make a deal with the devil," Ginny spat on him.

"You won't even hear me out?" He grinned, "Fine, have it your way."

Lucius brought down his cane on the girl and forced her to the stone ground. When she tried to get back up, he hit her once more, this time he hit her across the head. She gripped her bleeding forehead as she tried escaping him, but her foot was pulled back by the chain and he hit her again. Screaming loudly, she felt a tear coming down her face. Lucius laughed as he bent down at the girl and gripped her hair in his hand. Forcing her to look at him, he shoved her upwards and then back against a wall. She remembered screaming loudly but then everything went black.

Picking up his cane, Lucius made his way up the stairs and back to the landing where he found his wife waiting for him. He would have thought nothing of this, since she constantly lingered around the manor for him normally. But it was the look on her face that caught him off guard. Reaching out towards the woman, he watched her cower away. Moving closer to her, he decided to keep his hands to himself. Obviously, something was wrong.

"Nacrissa?"

"They found some of the Slytherins," She finally said.

"Did they find Draco?" Lucius' lips parted slightly.

"I don't know," She shrugged, "They haven't said. But the snatchers are bringing them here shortly."

"Okay," He now reached his arms around her, "It's going to be okay, Nacrissa."

"Yeah," She pulled away.

"No—wait," He stopped her, "I need to talk to you."

"Lucius, I really don't think this is the appropriate time…" Her eyes remained on the ground.

"Please," He suddenly said.

Lifting her eyes up to her husband, she felt a piece of her heart drop. She had only heard her husband say that word once. It was shortly after Draco was born. Even though it was so many years ago, she could remember it clearly. Her arms were interlocked, cradling her newborn son as her husband had walked into the room. His eyes were almost filling up with tears as saw his son for the first time. Kneeling down beside her, he kissed her on the forehead and then reached his arm around his son. Her eyes met his and that's when he said please for the first time.

"Alright, I'll listen," Nacrissa watched him cautiously.

"I haven't…been the best husband, and I know that. You deserve a lot better than what you have. I'm sorry I got you involved in this, I'm sorry that I got Draco tangled up in this mess…but I…"

"Save it, Lucius," Nacrissa interrupted.

"I thought you were going to hear me out," He commented.

"I'm not going to forgive you for getting my son involved in this. I know we're a family, but you sure as hell haven't acted like a husband to me, let alone a father to your own son. And I've been taking a lot of crap from you, but I can handle it. Draco couldn't handle it, Lucius. I wasn't a good parent either, I made him go through terrible things, I didn't stick up for him when he needed me to, and I wasn't there to give him the motherly affection that he deserved. The older he got, the less I saw him. And now he's gone, and I can't help but to feel like that's my fault," She began with tears in her eyes.

"Nacrissa, you're drawing too much into this. Draco is strong because of what he was put through. He's who he is today because of the way we raised him. He turned out much better than most kids." Lucius tried.

"You really don't get it, Lucius. You can't possibly understand…and it was childish of me to believe that you would." Nacrissa shook her head, "I should get ready. The snatchers will be here any moment and I need to be dressed accordingly."

* * *

"Luna," Neville asked the girl across the tables in the Great Hall, "Do you think we could hang out tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," Luna nodded.

"Okay, well how about at eight we can meet up in the Great Hall and then we can decide where we want to go." Neville put his hands in his pockets a bit nervously.

"Sounds great," Luna stood up from her table and then headed out to the girl's dormitory.

"Are you going to ask her?" George nudged him.

"Ask her what?"

"To be your girlfriend," Fred laughed at Neville's nervousness.

"I mean, I was planning on telling her how I felt today. I don't know really how she's going to react or what she's going to say. Honestly, I don't even know if she likes me as more than a good friend." Neville paused for a moment, "But I think I'm going to at least take a chance. Especially with the war coming so quickly and I just…I don't want to leave anything unfinished in case there is a chance that maybe…we could be meant for each other. Does that sound stupid?" Neville looked over at the twins.

"No," They said in unison.

Neville looked down at his feet anxiously when he saw Luna coming down from the girl's corridor. She was standing there, in her normal airy way. Giving her a soft smile, he approached her. The two awkwardly walked out of the room and down the stairs. There was something about the two of them that was truly remarkable. They were both odd balls of their class and yet when they stood by each other they fit in perfectly. Everyone knew that the two belonged together, there was something that just seemed right about it. But both of them were simply too shy and too blind to see it. Luna closely followed Neville out of the castle and out by the lake where he finally stopped.

"Neville, what's going on?" Luna questioned.

"What do you mean?" He turned around, trying to act innocent and unaware.

"You're practically shaking," She laughed, "What's gotten into you?"

"N—nothing," Neville ran his hand through his hair.

"Don't lie to me," She moved closer to him, "I can tell when there's something wrong. So come on, tell me what you're thinking."

"You really want to know?" Neville looked down at her.

"Yes,"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Neville began, "I don't even know where to begin."

"Okay," She nodded, "Well…just start from the beginning."

"Well, it started…probably the first day I met you," He nervously laughed.

"Neville,"

"My feelings have only grown stronger the longer I've known you," Neville admitted with his pale cheeks becoming red.

"Neville, just say it—say whatever it is you need to say."

"I like you…a lot." Neville said quickly.

"What?" Luna's eyes opened wider.

"I lied," Neville shook his head.

"You don't like me then?" Luna slowly questioned, feeling a bit confused.

"I just, I want to know how you feel about me because…this is all just really complicated. I'm really stressed, I know you're stressed and with the war coming…but I want you to know how I feel, even if you don't feel the same way, but I hope you do, I hope I haven't been leading to conclusions…did you not see this coming? I just figured that…" Neville rambled on endlessly until Luna finally stood up on her tip toes and kissed him gently.

When she pulled back, she gave him a soft smile, "I love you, Neville. I've felt like this for as long as I can remember. I just figured that your feelings weren't mutual."

"No, they...they were always mutual..." Neville felt her hands intertwine with hers. He leaned down again, and began kissing her.

* * *

"Draco," Hermione put her hand on his arm, "Something's not right…"

"Is it the baby?" Draco put his arms around her.

"N—no, Draco," She shook her head, "It's not the baby, it's just…I don't know, I have a bad feeling."

"Alright, well just…try to relax okay? Why don't you go take a bath?" Draco suggested.

"A bath isn't going to just magically fix any of this," Hermione said in an exhausted tone.

"I'll go down to get us some food for dinner," Draco stood up from the bed and left the small hotel room.

Hermione walked into the bathroom, and carefully undressed in front of the mirror. She looked down at her stomach that was now starting to protrude a little bit. Running some hot water for a bath, she carefully made her way into the tub. Lying her head down against the back of the tub, she let out a small sigh. After a few moments, she heard footsteps outside of the door. Alarmed, she pulled herself up from a relaxed position.

"Draco?" She called out, "Draco, is that you?"

When there was no reply, Hermione breathed uncomfortably. Quickly, she dried herself off and got dressed. Nearing the door, she looked around for her wand, but then she remembered that she had left it out on the bed stand. Locking the door quickly, Hermione looked around for something that she could use as a weapon, but nothing was working. So she carefully waited on the other side of the bathroom, as she heard loud poundings against the door. Placing her hand on her stomach, she began saying a quiet prayer to herself.

"Help!" Hermione screamed as she pounded on the wall behind her. She hoped that someone was in the hotel room next to them and could possibly hear her cries. After a few minutes of screaming, she heard someone finally yell back on the other side.

"Are you okay?"

"Help me! Please, help!" Hermione looked over at the bathroom door to see that the lock on the door was beginning to break. Holding her stomach tightly, she began to get teary eyed.

"Hold on!" The person hollered back.

The next few minutes were blended together and it really didn't make too much sense. Hermione's vision was blurred by both her tears and her uncontrollable shaking. All of her senses were clouding up her mind and making it impossible to think clearly. As the lock eventually broke, she heard it break inward as the door abruptly opened. Hermione was now sitting down on the floor of the bathroom, hunched over, crying. When her eyes met the doorway, she saw three figures. There was a hotel worker, the man from (apparently) next door, and Draco. Draco swarmed into the room and picked her up from the floor.

"Granger, it was room service, that's who was knocking on the door." He told her as he kept his arms around her. She kept her gaze low as she gripped onto Draco tightly. Draco gave a look to the two men standing just a few feet away which indicated a silent thank you.

That night, after the two finished eating, Hermione got into bed. Draco got under the covers and pulled her close to him. It had seemed to be a never ending day. Her eyes were swollen and she felt incredibly exhausted. His breath tingled her skin as he gave her a small kiss goodnight. But she still stayed up for hours, staring at the window at the far side of the room.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm not," She whispered.

"You're thinking; you're tense." He told her.

"This is driving me insane…" She answered him.

"What is?"

"All of this…I'm constantly so afraid that at any minute we're going to get taken by snatchers. I'm afraid that I'm going to get killed, I'm literally scared senseless. And I would never be like this, I would never be so afraid and held back. But this baby…it's in me and it's life depends on mine…it's not just about me anymore, it's not just about us, it's about…this baby. It's just so exhausting waiting and hoping that nothing will happen. It's frustrating that I can't fight, that I can't make a stand and help protect my friends. It's just terrifying." She breathed out heavily.

"It's going to be okay," He put his hand over hers, "I won't let anything happen to you or the baby."

"You can't know that for sure," Hermione moved her hand away, "You can't protect us from everything."

"Granger…"

"Just forget it," She cut him off, "I'm going to bed, I'm tired."

But Hermione only slept on and off. Most of the night, she watched the rain patting at the window. This was how she spent most of her nights at the hotels that they stayed at. Every two days or so, they would go somewhere else, a few towns over. So far they hadn't run into any problems. Whenever Hermione did get sleep, she would have constant nightmares. They were always about the war, or about Draco being killed, or losing the baby, even dreams about Layla still not forgiving her. Her mind would never be at ease, not anytime soon anyway.

In the morning, Draco went down to the hotel lobby to get them breakfast. Upon returning, Draco found Hermione sitting in the window sill. For a moment, he remembered the day back at Hogwarts where skipped her classes. She faked sick, just so she could find the courage to try to break up with him. He remembered how he refused to leave until she talked to him rationally. Once she finally opened up to him, they were completely fine. After all, she was just a scared, little girl. Even after these past few months, absolutely nothing had changed...except now she had a baby inside of her body.

"Granger, you need…you need to rest at some point." He brought her food.

"I can't sleep," She replied looking up at him.

"I know," He picked up a small paper cup. "I'll fill this up,"

She watched him walk over to the sink where he began filling it with water. Looking down at the food, she picked off a grape from a stem and ate it slowly. When Draco was sure she wasn't looking, he slipped two pills into it. Watching the pill disintegrate, Draco poured himself a glass of water as well. Walking back over to her, he handed her the cup and then sat down across from her. Though she didn't seem to have much of an appetite, she was rather thirsty. Since her tastebuds had been sort of off lately, she didn't even realize that there was something in her water. Draco wasn't sure if he was happy about this or concerned.

Within a few moments, Hermione was passed out on the bed. Draco covered her up and then slowly tucked her in. Giving her a small kiss on the face, he made his way to the bathroom where he took a quick shower. Shaving his face and then drying his hair in the mirror, Draco continued to get dressed. Making his way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, he noticed that the bed was undone and Hermione was missing. His eyes darted across the room until he finally found a witch in the corner.

"Mum?" Draco questioned.

"I had to find you," She explained, "I'm sorry, but I had to."

"Where did you take her?" Draco demanded a response.

"Your father and a few snatcher's have her." Nacrissa answered.

"How did you find me?"

"I will always find you, Draco." Nacrissa reached out towards her son.

"You have to take me to her, they can't hurt her!" Draco screamed.

"Draco, it is out of my hands now." Nacrissa told her son.

"You don't understand!" Draco hollered, "Just—take me to her!"

"I do understand, Draco. That's why I think it's best if you and I disappear for a while. We need to lie low, especially when the war comes."

"I'm staying with her!" Draco screamed, "You can't separate us!"

"I'm your mother and I'm doing this to protect you." She carefully said, "I want you to be safe, can't you see that? I want nothing but the absolute best for you."

"If you wanted the best for me, you wouldn't have come searching for me!" Draco reached for his wand.

"Don't be rash, Draco."

"I'm not being rash, I'm just the only one in this family that knows how to be rational!" Draco grabbed his things and then tried heading out of the door, but his mother was quick to stop him.

"Draco, listen to me..." She tried.

"I'm done listening, I'm done playing games, this is over." Draco said under his breath.

"Exactly," Her eyes met his and the two became silent.

* * *

"There's something we haven't talked about before." Harry told Ron as they made their way across town in a hurry.

"What's that?" Ron was out of breath.

"If I die…will you tell Ginny…"

"Shut up," Ron shook his head, "Stop talking about dying and about wishes and…just…just stop, okay? That isn't going to happen!"

"You aren't sure of anything,"

"Just stop running, okay?" Ron stopped suddenly. "We have almost all of the horcruxes gone, the only ones that remain are…?"

"I don't know what they are and I don't know where we can find them." Harry sighed.

"Okay, well maybe if we just try to clear your head and then concentrate really hard…" Ron began.

"Just forget it, this isn't working." Harry stopped. "I don't know why I'm trying anymore, it's stupid to think that I can actually beat him, isn't it?"

"Don't say that…"

"Do you think I can win?" Harry looked at his friend sternly with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"I don't think you can lose." Ron said firmly. Harry felt a small smile coming onto his face.

* * *

"Put her in the room with Lavender Brown," Lucius handed off Hermione to a snatcher, "I don't want her in the dungeon with Ms. Weasley. However, you can remove Mrs. Brown and bring her down to the entrance. I think her time has come."

"Of course," The snatcher took the sleeping girl in his hands as he made his way into the back of the Manor.

Lavender rose to her feet as she heard someone entering. Her heart began pounding as she saw the snatcher enter. He roughly dropped Hermione to the ground. Waking up, she turned to see Lavender struggling to try to escape the snatcher's grip.

"Hermione!" Lavender cried out, "Hermione, are you okay?"

"I—I'm fine," Hermione tried to make sense of where she was, "Lavender—wait, where are you taking her?"

"Get up," The snatcher began undoing Lavender's chains.

"Hermione, listen to me, I need to ask you something. Wherever you were…was Blaise there? Was he safe?"

"He's safe," Hermione nodded, "He's okay, Lavender! I don't know where he's at right now, we all had to split up, but he was alive…he was well."

"Oh thank Merlin," She was close to weeping. "I was so afraid…"

"Lavender, where are they taking you?" Hermione started to get up to her feet, but the snatcher shoved her back down to the ground.

"Please, don't," Lavender cried as the snatcher carried her out of the room and locked the door.

Hermione went to the door and tried opening it anyway, but it did no use. She slammed against the door and cried for help, but nothing worked. She was stuck inside what seemed to be a home and what even resembled a rich one. So she was betting that she was in the Malfoy Manor. Her mind went to Draco and where he was. Then she thought about Harry and Ron. Were they here too? There was only one way to find out who was there and who wasn't. But the only way to find out was through that door. There must have been something that she was overlooking, some detail that she wasn't noticing. She was going to find her way out of this room, no matter the cost.


End file.
